US Extreme Weather: Tropical Storms, Wildfires, And Heat
Latest On Tropical Storm Hillary in California, Record Fires and 100+ Heat
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Good morning everyone,
If you’re waking up on the West Coast, it’s been a rough 24 hours. A magnitude 5.1 earthquake shook parts of Southern California Sunday afternoon, just as a powerful tropical storm closed in (more on that in a minute).
Stay safe out there, and we’ll see you tonight on Instagram Live.
Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney
🎙The Mo News Podcast: Wednesday’s GOP debate preview; Russia crashes into the moon; the health benefits of the ‘Mediterranean Lifestyle’; and some wild fun facts about ‘Dirty Dancing.’
🗞 WICKED WEATHER TEARS THROUGH U.S.
Southern California is experiencing historic floods as Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall, while wildfires burn thousands of acres across Washington State and Canada. And in the South, people are bracing for 100+ degree temps through September.
It seems like every section of North America has been on a collision course with severe weather threats at some point this summer. We’re trying to keep track of all of them. Here’s a state of play on the most devastating weather events happening right now:
☔️ TROPICAL STORM HILARY
Hilary made landfall in Baja California Sunday as a tropical storm, but it is already packing a historic punch as it moves through Southern California. The worst of it began yesterday afternoon and is expected to last through today.
Heavy rain is likely to bring “life-threatening” flooding and mudslides. Some areas will see up to 10 inches of rain over 48 hours—more than most of the region experiences in a year. But some parts of the drought-stricken region are already seeing flooding from just a couple inches of rain.
There were several reports of mudslides, evacuation orders and water rescues late Sunday.
High wind speeds are taking down trees and knocking out power for thousands.
Topography threat: For storms on the East Coast, which is typically victim to hurricanes, topography is not often considered because the coastline along the Atlantic is relatively flat. The high elevations and valleys of southern California are one of the reasons this southwest storm so dangerous.
The storm is massive — roughly the size of the state of Arizona
Las Vegas enacted a state of emergency last night
HILARY MAKES HISTORY
This is the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years. We’d have to go back to 1939 to find the last tropical storm that made direct landfall on the California coast.
The rainfall is the biggest concern. An average summer in Palm Springs, CA would see less than half an inch of rain in those 3 months. Between Saturday and Monday, it’s predicted to receive 5 to 7 inches of rain — in just 3 days.
What historically deters hurricanes from California? Two key things that are absent this summer.
Cold sea temperatures, which suppress hurricane formation
Vertical wind shear, which is a fancy way of saying the way wind speed changes the higher off the ground you are. Typically, Eastern Pacific wind shear prevents hurricane formation.
What makes Hilary different is the combination of warm ocean temperatures, attributed to climate change and this year’s El Nino event. This summer saw some of the hottest temperatures on record — leading ocean temperatures to rise dramatically. El Nino also lowers wind shear in the region, allowing storms like this to form off the West Coast.
🔥 WILDFIRES BURN THROUGH U.S. AND CANADA
Much of the Pacific Northwest is being scorched by relentless wildfires exacerbated by severe drought. Washington State is currently battling two fires: the Gray Fire and the Oregon Road Fire.
The Gray Fire broke out Friday afternoon. By Friday night it had grown from 200 acres in size to 3,000. By yesterday morning it had burned across almost 11,000 acres and was still 0% contained.
One person has died and at least 185 buildings have burned down, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
The National Weather service has signaled a red flag warning (critical wildfire threat) for eastern Washington and northern Idaho.
The Oregon Road Fire is burning through Elk, roughly 30 miles north of Spokane. It’s approaching 10,000 acres and has destroyed 30 buildings. It is also 0% contained.
Meanwhile in Canada…
The McDougall Creek Fire is one of two burning across the border. It’s consuming Kelowna, a city about 180 miles east of Vancouver. PM Justin Trudeau announced yesterday that he would be deploying armed forces across British Columbia to fight the fast-spreading fires.
More than 35,000 Canadians have been forced to evacuate, as multiple fires burn in the Lake Okanagan region of southern British Columbia.
Canada is suffering its worst wildfire season in memory, with more than 1,000 fires burning. Smoke has drifted across the US border several times this summer.
About 54,000 miles of land — roughly the size of New York state — have been scorched across all of Canada.
At least 4 firefighters have died in the line of duty.
MAUI: 2 WEEKS LATER
In Hawaii, the death toll is now up to 114 from the fires that started on August 8— the deadliest wildfire in modern US history — and could still climb.
Up to 1,000 people are still unaccounted for with about 85% of the designated burn zone in the town of Lahaina already searched. However, officials, say the numbers of missing appear to be all over the place and not reliable with communications still limited.
President Biden and the First Lady will visit the devastated region today, as he faces his own criticism for his slow response and lack of messaging on the deadliest wildfires in modern American history.
RECORD HEAT CONTINUES
The ‘Heat Dome’ over the nation’s midsection will persist this week with 100+ degree (and in some cases 110+ degree) temperatures expected from Iowa to Texas and across the South.
Record-shattering temperatures are expected to continue across Texas and the south for several more weeks and the National Weather Service says it is possible the region will see 100+ degree temps past Labor Day into mid-September.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Trump will skip Republican primary debates, including this week’s first showdown Wednesday night (NY TIMES)
📌 Jimmy Carter’s grandson says the former president and first lady are ‘in the final chapter of their lives” (THE HILL)
📌 Border Patrol apprehensions increased again on US border in July, but down from 2022 (ABC)
📌 The single costliest type of natural catastrophe for insurers in 2023 isn't hurricanes or earthquakes or volcanic eruptions — it's thunderstorms (AXIOS)
📌 Ralph Yarl, teen shot after mistakenly going to the wrong house to pick up his siblings, opens up about his healing journey(GMA)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Russia’s first moon mission in decades fails after spacecraft crashes into moon (CNN)
📌 Denmark, Netherlands pledge to give Ukraine 42 F-16 fighter jets (AP)
📌 Ecuador presidential election takes place following assassination (REUTERS)
📌 The Ukraine war could run for years. From Moscow to Washington, a lack of clear and achievable strategic goals points to a long conflict. (WSJ)
📱BUSINESS & TECH
📌 American Airlines is suing a travel website that sells tickets that let people save money (AP)
📌 Schools are now teaching ChatGPT, fearing ignoring or discouraging the use of it will hinder students when entering the workforce (CNN)
📌 This company will pay your dog $100/hour to promote its CBD-infused peanut butter treats (USA TODAY)
📌 The iPhone 15 could get one of the biggest upgrades in years: A new charging port (CNBC)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Spain defeat England in final of record-breaking Women's World Cup (REUTERS)
📌 Patriots-Packers game called off after New England rookie Isaiah Bolden is carted off field (NEW YORK POST)
📌 Britney Spears breaks silence following divorce from Sam Asghari: “Couldn’t take the pain anymore” (PEOPLE)
📌 This Is Us actor Ron Cephas Jones dies at 66 (TODAY)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: AUGUST 21
1911: Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by three Italian handymen, and was not recovered until two years later. The media sensation around the theft helped make it one of the world's most famous paintings.
1942: The animated film Bambi had its theatrical release in the United States and became a classic Disney Movie.
1959: Hawaii became the 50th US state.
The Mo You Know: We did a deep dive on the history of Hawaii over on the Mo News Premium Instagram account, which includes the US-supported coup to take over the islands in 1893. (use code “monewstrial” for free 30 day trial)
1987: 'Dirty Dancing' starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey premiered in theaters.
🧠 FUN FACTS: The film script was rejected more than 40 times, before they finally found a small company called Vestron to produce it. Also, the title was almost changed to ‘I Was a Teenage Mambo Queen’ after ‘Dirty Dancing,’ as the film’s title led some to think it could be pornographic.