U.S. Overwhelmed by Excessive Heat, Fire, Flooding, Extreme Weather Events

More than 40,000 Coloradans flee their homes as firestorms rage across the state

Firestorms ravaging Colorado, as temperatures rise 20+ degrees above average in central U.S. and the Rockies

• “This is a fire of epic proportions,” said Colorado Springs Fire Chief, Rich Brown.

• “This is the worst fire season in the history of Colorado… it looks surreal,” said Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.

• “We are in a very critical situation now. Unfortunately we do have structures and homes that are burning in the northwest corner of Colorado Springs. We have mandatory evacuation over a considerable area,” fire information officer Rob Deyerberg told Reuters.

• Some 3 dozen active wildfires are currently burning hundreds of thousands of acres in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, South Dakota and California.

The fast-moving Waldo Canyon Fire in Pike National Forest, El Paso County, which ignited on June 23, has grown to more than 6,500 acres, destroying numerous homes and forcing at least 32,000 people from their homes.

• High Park Fire west of Fort Collins – the second-largest and the most destructive blaze ever recorded in the state has destroyed at least 257 homes; burned 87,250acres; up to 5,000 people remain evacuated; 55 percent contained.
• Little Sand Fire near Pagosa Springs, Weber Fire in Montezuma County, State Line Fire  southeast of Durango, Treasure Fire near Leadville, Trout Creek Fire near Rainbow Falls in Douglas County, Woodland Heights Fire near Estes Park southwest of the High Park Fire, and Elbert Fire have so far consumed about 40,000 acres.

US Weather Hazards Map, June 27, 2012

Red Flag Warnings are currently in effect for 13 states:

• Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.

Heat Advisories are in effect this afternoon to late evening in eight central states:

• North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana

Critical Fire Weather areas exist in parts of Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, Storm Prediction Center reported.

Flood Warning and Flash Flood Emergency continue in Florida. Major flooding is expected in Clay county through Thursday PM, and flash flood emergency in Duval county and NE Clay.

Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for much of Kansas.

For other current hazards and warnings Click Here.

Utah Wildfires

The Wood Hollow Fire, a blaze about 1 mile south of Fountain Green in Utah State Division of Forestry Fire & State Lands has exploded to about 40,000 acres, claiming at least one life and destroying numerous structures and scores of farm animals, mostly sheep.

• Evacuations:
  • The entire town of Fairview (pop: 1,200) has been evacuated.
  • Up to 2,000 others have been evacuated from surrounding communities.
  • Indian Ridge, Elk Ridge, Big Hollow, and Oaker Hills communities are under mandatory evacuation.
• Closures: Highway 89 closure is in effect for a second time.
• Weather: “The big worry now is the weather. Everything that can be done is being done,” Gov Herbert said in a televised conference.

Wisconsin State of Emergency

Wisconsin Governor has declared a state of emergency for three northwestern counties of  Douglas, Ashland and Bayfield counties devastated by flooding that damaged at least 500 homes and businesses.

Agricultural Disasters

Pennsylvania and New York. USDA has designates 21 counties in Pennsylvania and 2 counties in New York as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by freezing temperatures from March 1 – May 13, 2012.

• List of Pennsylvania disaster areas: (PDA)Clarion, Forest, Schuylkill, Venango and Warren Counties.  (CDA) Armstrong, Berks, Butler, Carbon, Columbia, Crawford, Dauphin, Elk, Erie, Jefferson, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, McKean, Mercer and Northumberland counties.
• List of New York disaster areas:  Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties.

Wyoming. USDA has designated 4 counties in Wyoming—Hot Springs, Fremont, Park, and Washakie—as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by drought that began March 1, 2012, and continues.

Record Power Consumption

Texans set two new records for hourly power demand as their large cities baked under triple-digit heat, with record temperatures set in Houston and San Antonio.  Power demand reached 66,583 megawatts (MW) on Monday in the 60-minute period between 16:00 and 17:00, setting a new record for June, and exceeding Monday’s peak of 65,047MW, a report said.

• “Houston’s high temperature reached 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 Celsius), 12 degrees above normal and breaking the record of 99 degrees. San Antonio hit 105, also a record,” said the report .

Collapsing Cities

Stockton, California. The river port city of Stockton, California (pop: 300,000),  may become the largest US city to declare bankruptcy, after the city failed to make a deal with its creditors.

• Located about 90 miles (144km) east of San Francisco, the city was hit hard during the US housing market crash.
• Stockton’s unemployment rate (~ 16%) and violent crimes rank among the highest in the U.S.

North Las Vegas, Nevada. The Nevada city of North Las Vegas, described as “ground zero for foreclosures” was officially declared as a disaster area on June 23.

• “One in every 195 homes is in foreclosure, the state’s highest rate. Once the nation’s fastest growing city, it lost more than 3,000 businesses in three years after the recession hit in 2007. Its total revenue has plunged from $817 million in 2009 to $298 million this year,” AP reported.

Tropical Depression DEBBY

Tropical Depression DEBBY is expected to continue moving ENE across Florida and into the Atlantic. The storm is forecast to re-intensify as it clears the eastern U.S. coast, NWS reported

• Coastal and inland flooding still pose major threats across the affected areas. 

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs

• Mega Disasters
• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar
• Mass Die-offs