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**Sick kids can spread diseases in their households and classrooms. kali9/E+ via Getty Images**

Ready or not, back-to-school season is here, and kids will be bringing home more than homework. They’ll be carrying germs, too.

These viruses and bacteria will be agents that cause the common cold, influenza, norovirus, COVID-19, strep throat and more. There’s a reason why boxes of tissues and sanitizing wipes show up on most school supply lists.

As a nursing professor with experience in public health promotion, I have spent the past several years helping the public understand how to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, especially the flu and COVID-19.

Here are some ways to minimize illness transmission from school to home.

COVID-19 cases likely to rise

In what health care providers call the summer wave, COVID-19 infections have been increasing throughout the summer of 2024. As of July 30, 2024, the number of COVID-19 infections has grown or is likely to grow in 35 states and territories.

Summer heat waves force people inside and into close proximity. And as record-setting temperatures continue driving this trend, the number of COVID-19 cases is expected to increase. This increase is expected to extend into the 2024–25 school year.

Currently, COVID-19 variants KP.3 and KP.3.1.1 are the dominant circulating virus strains. These variants are among the FLiRT variants, nicknamed after the locations of their spike protein mutations. These variants spread more easily from person to person and are able to evade vaccine-induced immunity better than previous strains.

These highly contagious COVID-19 strains, combined with the relaxed isolation guidelines that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in March 2024, are likely to increase classroom disease transmission this coming school year. These updated CDC guidelines apply to all respiratory viruses, not just COVID-19.

The new guidelines recommend that everyone stay home when they are sick but also suggest that a person can return to normal activities once symptoms are improving and the person is fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. While it is too early to know the transmission impact of these guidelines, they may lead to more people coming out of isolation while still infectious.

The CDC’s March 2024 guidelines relaxed isolation recommendations.

Children play a large role in transmitting the COVID-19 virus. Children often do not have overt symptoms when they are infected with COVID-19, leading to increased contact and spread.

A two-year study following over 160,000 households composed of both adults and children found that just over 70% of viral transmissions, including COVID-19, in these households were pediatric index cases, meaning they started with a child. Further, these pediatric index cases were reduced by 60% to 80% during school breaks. This data suggests that COVID-19 infections will continue to increase once the school year starts.

Good hygiene habits reduce the spread

In May 2024, the CDC also released guidance for preventing classroom spread of infectious disease, including COVID-19 and other common infectious diseases such as the flu, norovirus and strep throat. This guidance places emphasis on proper respiratory etiquette, hand-washing and vaccination.

An adult holds a tissue to a child's nose, helping them cover their sneeze — **Proper sneeze hygiene includes using tissues and washing your hands. filadendron/E+ via Getty Images**

Proper cough and sneeze hygiene is especially important to reduce transmission of diseases such as COVID-19 and the flu, which are commonly transmitted through respiratory droplets. Coughs and sneezes create respiratory droplets that can be full of viruses or bacteria. Because these droplets are forcefully expelled, they can be spread around the environment and inhaled by another person.

That’s why it is important to turn your face away from others and cover up coughing or sneezing with a tissue and then quickly dispose of the tissue. If a tissue is not available, your sleeve is the next best option. Whichever method you use, it is important to wash your hands afterward. In addition to encouraging proper respiratory etiquette, classrooms should also have appropriate ventilation.

The CDC’s classroom guidance also focuses on proper hand-washing. Up to 80% of infectious diseases are spread through touch. Classrooms have countless high-touch surfaces, including light switches, tabletops, shared supplies, doorknobs, sports equipment and toys.

Proper hand-washing can prevent about 30% of diarrhea-related illness and about 20% of respiratory infections, such as colds and flu. The CDC also reports that proper hand-washing reduces absenteeism due to gastrointestinal illness by up to 57%.

Health care providers recommend COVID-19 and flu vaccines

Another important part of reducing classroom spread of infectious disease is keeping children up to date on vaccinations. Proper vaccination can reduce disease transmission rates 40% to 50% for flu and COVID-19, 80% for child pneumococcal cases, upward of 90% for chickenpox and 100% for diseases such as polio and smallpox.

A doctor placing a band-aid onto a girl's arm after a vaccination. — **Childhood vaccinations can significantly reduce the spread of disease. Halfpoint Images/Moment via Getty Images**

For the past several years, the CDC has recommended receiving the flu and COVID-19 vaccine at the same time when possible. Despite this recommendation, there has been some hesitancy in the uptake of both vaccines at the same time.

A 2024 Canadian study found that 20% of respondents did not see the benefit in co-administration, and another 17% were concerned about adverse reactions of receiving both vaccines together. However, several years of CDC data demonstrates the safety of receiving the flu and COVID-19 vaccines together.

Moderna recently released Phase 3 clinical trial data on a new combination vaccine against both the flu and COVID-19. This combination vaccine, currently called mRNA-1083, has demonstrated higher effectiveness when compared with individual vaccines for the flu or COVID-19. Moderna is expected to seek FDA approval soon. This combination vaccine may increase vaccine uptake because only one shot will be required instead of two.

Sick kids should stay home

The most important way to reduce the spread of germs in school is to follow the principle of keeping kids home when they’re sick. When sick kids go to school, they infect not only other students but teachers and staff too. When teachers get sick, it affects student learning and costs the U.S. billions of dollars each year.

Most schools and day care centers have guidelines on when to keep a child at home. As a general rule, a child should stay home from school or day care if they have a fever, vomiting, diarrhea or if they are generally unwell and unable to fully participate in school.

Without the presence of a fever, it is OK to go to school with a cough or runny nose, as long as the child feels well enough to participate in class. To return to school or day care, the child should be fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications. When a student is returning to school with respiratory symptoms, consider having them take extra precautions, such as using a mask to protect others for the next five days.

If you have concerns about whether to send your child to school, it’s always a good idea to seek advice from your health care provider.

Healthy habits boost the immune system

Last but not least, focusing on healthy habits such as getting enough sleep and exercise, as well as eating nutritious meals, helps boost the immune system.

These actions should be practiced by family members of all ages.

Libby Richards, Professor of Nursing, Purdue University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

A new report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies highlights California’s continuing struggle with high housing costs — an issue that the Little Hoover Commission addressed in a report in 2022.

The annual report — which provides a snapshot of the country’s housing landscape — puts a spotlight on California’s housing affordability challenges. The report shows that in 2022, nearly one-third of California homeowners were cost-burdened.

In 12 of the California metro areas analyzed, the median sales price was at least eight times the median household income in 2023, compared to a national median that is five times household income.

And for a growing number of Californians, the high housing costs are too much to bear, as the state’s homeless population was 53 percent larger in 2023 than a decade prior.

The commission examined the state’s affordable housing crisis and its devastating impacts in our report, California Housing: Building a More Affordable Future, released in 2022. They learned that California’s record-high housing prices were in part due to its limited supply of housing.

They also found that state policymakers needed to do more to increase the development of and access to affordable housing — but that there were specific issues standing in the way of these efforts.

For one, the state’s primary method of helping homebuyers was through down payment assistance. But with a limited supply of potential homes available, this just resulted in buyers bidding up housing costs.

Furthermore, similar housing functions were spread across four different agencies and divided under the purview of the governor and the state treasurer. This structure, the commission found, was inefficient and resulted in service gaps.

The state also lacked key pieces of information that would help state leaders better understand the housing crisis and potential solutions. Some of the needed data existed already, but it was not always clear how policymakers could use it to make housing more affordable. Antiquated technology also got in the way of progress. Other data was simply missing.

Finally, California has a lengthy history of racist and discriminatory housing policies. Laws and practices have enabled groups to be excluded from property ownership or forced into low-value areas. Those harmed by these actions are hit particularly hard by the state’s high housing costs, as they were denied generational wealth-building opportunities.

The commission offered several recommendations for state policymakers to address these challenges:

• Build more houses: Expand its affordable housing strategy — in both policy and funding — to include a greater emphasis on affordable home ownership. This effort must also include an emphasis on increasing housing supply to avoid being counterproductive.
• Organize government more efficiently: Consolidate housing functions. Formalize a strategic working relationship between the governor and state treasurer and the agencies they oversee.
• Jumpstart affordable housing production: Create targeted working groups to tackle logistical and policy challenges. Build in CEQA flexibility to expedite projects.
• Get data and use it: Identify and fill housing data and analysis gaps. Start with development fees, mass home purchases by institutional investors, and the cumulative impact of laws and regulations on the cost of housing. Use this information in policymaking.
• Address historical inequities and prevent new ones: Invest in “shared equity” models. An emphasis should be placed on those who have been hurt by discriminatory policies and practices.

Dear Lady of the Lake,

Where can I find information about Clear Lake? What is being done to improve conditions in the lake?

- Looking to Learn More Lars in Lucerne

Hi Lars,

Thanks for reaching out about this question! Great timing too. There is actually quite a bit going on in Clear Lake and the lake basin in regards to research, science exploration, management, and conservation. There are a myriad of local, state, federal agencies, organizations, tribes, individuals, and companies that are doing this work.

With all of this effort, from different sources, it can be very hard to keep track of what is going on and how impacts can and will be realized, such as what is being done in the lake to reduce nuisance harmful cyanobacteria and algae blooms.

Thankfully, the Lake County Watershed Protection District is hosting a Clear Lake Integrated Science Symposium in Lake County, on Thursday, Aug. 15, and Friday, Aug. 16, at Robinson Rancheria Conference Center and Habematolel Upper Lake Meeting Hall from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. We have been referring to this event as CLISS 2024 (#CLISS2024, for Clear Lake Integrated Science Symposium).

To view and download schedules and information about the symposium, visit the event webpage at the County of Lake Water Resources website here.

This symposium will comprehensively provide the most recent data and information on current research and management occurring in Clear Lake and the basin.

This symposium will feature researchers, scientists, tribes, managers and organizations that are all working together to learn how to improve Clear Lake conditions and implement beneficial actions.

The symposium will feature a keynote speaker, Geneva Thompson of California Natural Resources Agency. Thompson has been an active advocate for Clear Lake restoration and research in Clear Lake through her role on the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation for Clear Lake. She has pushed to get funds allocated to Lake County, and has promoted the work being done in the lake through legislative and state avenues.

Thompson joined the California Natural Resources Agency in June 2021 as the deputy secretary for tribal affairs. She recently served as associate general counsel for the Yurok Tribe, where she practiced environmental and cultural resource law and represented the Yurok Tribe in tribal, state and federal forums.

She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, with specializations in critical race studies and public interest law and policy. Thompson is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and enjoys beading, gardening, and hiking with her spouse in state and national parks. She has been to Clear Lake many times to attend meetings and to see projects happening in real time.

The symposium is lucky to have such a well-rounded and invested keynote speaker!

This symposium is strongly needed because Clear Lake is important to Lake County ecologies and economies, yet over time, the Lake has been impacted by land use changes, development, pollution, and climate change.

Identifying how these factors have influenced Clear Lake’s form and function is an important research question that requires dedicated space and time to explore, with many people and perspectives at the table.

The targeted management and solutions needed to improve Clear Lake conditions, and the ecosystems that depend on a vibrant, healthy, and natural lake, should be identified and discussed with scientific consensus and within an open forum that is accessible by and for the public.

Sessions at the August 15 and 16, 2024 Clear Lake Science Symposium will feature Clear Lake water quality in the monitoring and modeling sessions, landscape mitigation, and groundwater research and management, such as that occurring in the Big Valley Basin (shown above). Photo taken and used with permission by CLISS Sponsor and Partner Lake Air Adventures (707 349 1490).

Science in the raw

Now, fair warning. I want to be clear about this. Please don’t expect this symposium to be washed out and simplified, this is a fully technical forum. There are going to be complex, scientific concepts and ideas that are being discussed, investigated and presented. This is how real science gets done. But the public will get a first row seat, and that is very exciting.

The timing for this event was chosen because the endemic and state-listed Clear Lake Hitch, a small minnow fish species that lives only in Clear Lake, is on the pathway to be federally listed under the US Endangered Species Act, or ESA, in early 2025. It's likely that this species will be ESA listed, even while there remains many unknowns about the current state of Clear Lake ecosystems in which the Hitch is dependent.

There will be a dedicated Hitch Conservation Session Friday afternoon (1 to 4 p.m.) in Robinson Main Meeting Hall. This will be moderated by California Department of Fish and Wildlife, which state listed the Hitch in 2014.

To learn more about Clear Lake Hitch and the listing process, please refer to my previous columns, To List a Fish and Merry Fishmas.

This symposium aims to address these uncertainties. Putting all the science and results together in one space, with built-in accountability from the public as an intellectual and collaborative witness, will help to answer some of the unknowns that are driving declines in hitch populations.

The symposium will also be an open, public, and accessible forum for the report out of expensive research and management projects that have been funded by state programs and initiatives, such as the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake.

The 16-member Blue Ribbon Committee was established in 2017 and to date has allocated and dispersed over $5 Million in Prop 68 funds and approved at least another $5 Million of state and general fund grants and awards into Clear Lake research and implementation projects.

After the keynote speaker, the symposium will begin with an overview of the Blue Ribbon Committee progress, and several dedicated talks and sessions throughout the symposium will feature results from projects funded by The Blue Ribbon Committee such as Clear Lake monitoring and modeling session moderated by USGS and UCD.
The Clear Lake Monitoring and Modelling Sessions will be held at the Habematolel Upper Lake Meeting Hall on Thursday afternoon (1 to 3:30 p.m.).

For more background information on the Blue Ribbon Committee For the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake, visit my previous columns, “Bemused and confused about the Blue Ribbon Committee” and “Thankful for the Blue Ribbon Committee.”

The symposium will also feature a session Thursday morning, at Robinson Main Meeting Hall from 10:30 a.m. to noon, presented by US EPA that will review the Sulphur Bank Mine Superfund Site history and clean-up plan, and results from the most recent mercury studies in Clear Lake will be presented by USGS and UCD. Much of this information is brand new and has not been presented elsewhere.

While there are many more interesting and super-science packed sessions at the symposium, one of the most hot topics within the Clear Lake community, especially in the middle of a record-breaking hot summer, is harmful cyanobacterial and algal blooms, sometimes called HABs.

The symposium will include a session on monitoring and tracking these blooms, on Thursday afternoon following the lake monitoring and modeling session, at the Habematolel Upper Lake Meeting Hall on Thursday afternoon ( 4 to 5:30 p.m.).

This session will be moderated by Big Valley Rancheria, who has led the state in tribal cyanobacterial monitoring programs, started right here in Clear Lake in 2014.

On Friday afternoon, the last two sessions of the event, also at the Habematolel Upper Lake Meeting Hall (2:30 - 5:30 pm), will focus on both landscape and in-lake mitigation strategies, or solutions, to harmful cyanobacterial blooms in Clear Lake.

It's sure to be a learning experience for all and while there are sessions occurring concurrently, and information may be presented quickly and with lots of technical evidence and data, there will be livestream options for both days and locations. All sessions will be recorded to be accessed quickly and for free, forever, at the Lake County Water Resources Department YouTube Channel and Website.

There is also a special opportunity to purchase binder proceedings of the symposium until the end of the month. This digital binder will always be available online, but printed versions are on sale now, for a limited time, and will be sent to purchasers after the symposium.

You can purchase a printed copy of the digital binder now,for $20, on Event Brite until August 31, 2024.

How to attend in-person and remotely

While this article is going to press, the in-person registration spaces for the day events of the symposium (science presentations, talks, and workshops) have all been sold out. While this is a free event, the building has a capacity limit and there is a limit to food, drinks, and event swag bags and materials that are going to be available.

However there are some live streaming options available, and there is still ticket space available for the Friday evening event at Soper Reese Theater where the premier of the Clear Lake film “Big Lake, Big Science” will be shown, followed by the County’s first Science Slam.

To access the live streaming options for CLISS:

Thursday and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Robinson Rancheria Conference Center Sessions will be on the county of Lake You Tube Channel and PEGTV (Mediacom Ch. 8). To access the County of Lake youtube just search for @countyoflakeca4328 in your browser from your computer or smart phone. If you have a smart TV, you can download the YouTube App and search enter @countyoflakeca4328 in the search bar.

Thursday, 1 to 5:30 p.m., afternoon sessions to be held at the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Meeting Hall will be accessible through a zoom webinar. Click to join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: https://lakecounty.zoom.us/j/82478033229?pwd=DxE4IXGeE6YxChq4xgP4wQVPxWaKQN.1. Meeting ID: 82478033229 Passcode: 514738 or if calling in from a phone within the USA, dial: (669)900-6833. Enter Meeting I.D. 82478033229# And Enter Passcode 514738#

Friday, 1 to 5:30 p.m., afternoon sessions to be held at the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Meeting Hall will be accessible through a zoom webinar. Click to join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: https://lakecounty.zoom.us/j/82621518165?pwd=Rk3JbnxkV5xRvXUE82V1baAOpnq6Z1.1. Meeting ID: 82621518165 Passcode: 112298. Or if calling in from a phone within the USA, dial: (669)900-6833. Enter Meeting I.D. 82621518165# And Enter Passcode 112298#

To learn more about the Clear Lake Integrated Science Symposium, its purpose, how it was designed, funded, and overall summary of what it will provide, you can watch the presentation by the Watershed Protection District staff to the Board of Supervisors in this you tube video.

Sincerely,

Lady of the Lake

The Lady of the Lake column is written by a limnologist (limnology=study of fresh inland waters) who lives and works in Lake County. Born in northern California, she has a Masters of Science from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Lake Manager from the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) and she is the current president / chair of the California Chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science. The Lady of the Lake is also a Certified Tourism Ambassador, as of July 2023. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you would like to talk to the Lady of the Lake in person, you can stop by her booth at the Big Valley Small Farms Tour, Saturday, May 11, at Ripe Choice Farm., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has many new puppies and older dogs ready to go to new homes.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Anatolian shepherd, Australian cattle dog, Australian shepherd, border collie, Chihuahua, German shepherd, Labrador Retriever, pit bull terrier, Rottweiler and terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

Those dogs and the others shown on this page at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.

The shelter is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Kennel#7

Kennel#23(Rocky)

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C#48(Molly)

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Kennel#15(Goose)

Kennel#11a(blue collar)

Kennel#11b(pink collar)

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Kennel#26(Pickle)

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**Resist demonizing the ‘other’ side. Moor Studio/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images**

Instead of excitement about the upcoming election, many of my patients and friends – regardless of political affiliation – report they’re terrified at the thought of the “other side” winning. Democrats tell me they fear Donald Trump will end our democracy; Republicans are afraid Kamala Harris will turn the United States into a socialist society without family values.

Watching the news leaves people from both parties exhausted, sad and scared about the future. Each half of the country is made to believe the other half is stupid, deeply misguided, immoral, dishonest or maliciously plotting to ruin the country they themselves love.

I am a psychiatrist who specializes in treating and researching fear and anxiety. My book, “Afraid: Understanding the Purpose of Fear, and Harnessing the Power of Anxiety,” explores the politics of fear and the role media play in modern anxieties. Scientific insights on fear can provide a helpful perspective on election anxieties and suggest some practical tips on managing politics-related worries.

Human beings are a tribal species

As humans, we have a strong tendency to form group affiliations, whether based on national, ethnic, religious, sports, school or other social connections. People care more strongly for their own group members. Researchers have found that areas of the brain involved in empathy are more active when people see, for example, a member of their own college getting hurt versus someone from a rival college.

Tribal tendencies are not biologically tied to a specific racial, ethnic or national identity. Rather, all people are born with a desire to seek affiliation with the familiar.

Tribalism can strengthen in the face of a perceived external threat. Danger from outside can make you both paranoid about “others” not in your group and more trusting of your tribemates and tribe leaders.

This instinct is not necessarily bad. Tribalism has helped humans survive as a species by fostering the unity necessary to fend off an invading tribe, predators or natural disasters.

people largely dressed in patriotic colors at a Trump rally — **As a group-oriented species, people feel more comfortable and supported by their group. AP Photo/Marta Lavandier**

Media and leaders play up tribal connections

Leaders and media know how to exploit our tribalism to circle the wagons. They can trigger the tribal tendency in an effort to motivate people to avoid or attack the other side and keep donating, voting and watching their own side’s cable news.

For most media outlets in the U.S., like all corporations, revenue is the top priority. What matters most to them is the number of hours you watch, scroll and click. Science shows that emotions, especially negative ones, grab attention; fear makes people stick around.

Media organizations on both sides of the political spectrum recognize that negative news keeps the audience engaged. Whichever news channel you watch, when was the last time you turned away happy, energized and peaceful? More often you end up feeling the whole world is going down in flames.

During election season, these dynamics intensify as politicians seek cash and votes, and the media capitalizes on the opportunity to sell more ads.

Managing anxiety around political news

You can care about your sanity and your country at the same time. Here are some practical tips:

Resist the tribalism trap. Remember that when terrified of the other side, your primitive instincts take over, leaving your critical thinking skills behind. It is impossible for the political leaders and media you identify with to always be right and the other side to always be wrong. Exercise some skepticism, especially when a message encourages fear.
Reduce exposure and choose what you consume. Cable news in the U.S. focuses on a few subjects and floods you with unending dramatic political analysis and punditry. Five more hours of news consumption will not add to what you learned in the first hour, but it will add to your emotional exhaustion. My patients who limit media exposure to an hour of their favorite news show feel much better and are still informed. If you can read rather than watch, do so. Be informed, not overwhelmed.
Balance your news intake. Don’t get stuck in the limited world view of what your tribe showcases. Tune in to neutral sources, and different views, in your news diet. The boring news sources are often the less emotionally exhausting.
Stay open to the positive. When you’re scared, your attention follows, focusing on stimuli relevant to what scares you. This is an evolutionary function that tries to keep you safe by zeroing in on danger. Short-circuit that instinct by intentionally redirecting your attention to positive news. Check out stories about science, health, arts, sports and community service.
Experience the real world. What you see shapes what you believe, and that guides your emotions. Break out of any negative news bubble you’re trapped in and engage with the real world. Visit your neighbors and nature. Balance your emotions by engaging with the largely safe and respectful real world.

woman and man talking about a potted plant in garden — **You can connect with people on things outside of political leanings. EMS-FORSTER-PRODUCTIONS/DigitalVision via Getty Images**

Defy the trap of division. Reject demonization of others. Political beliefs are only one part of any American’s identity. Make an effort to identify common ground outside politics. You can go to the gym, share a meal, talk about art and science, or do yard work with people who hold different political views.
Keep up your routines. It is important to maintain the normal life routines, hobbies and social interactions that keep you happy and balanced. Remember that exercise is a great anxiety treatment.
Channel the energy. You can succumb to horror, depression or hate – or you can transform that energy into positive political activism, productive conversations and making an effort to learn the facts. Rather than be terrified, choose to be politically passionate.

Remember, this election cycle will pass. Use this time as an opportunity to expand your political knowledge. Be excited about your side, do what you can to support it, go vote. Don’t be afraid.

Arash Javanbakht, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Wayne State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

**A map of the U.S. plotted with 19 weather and climate disasters each costing $1 billion or more that occurred between January and July, 2024. Image credit: NOAA NCEI.**

Last month, areas of the U.S. sweltered through record heat and the impacts from raging wildfires, while others experienced the fury of Hurricane Beryl.

Also, through July, the U.S. has endured 19 separate billion-dollar weather and climate disasters — second only to 2023 for the highest amount for the first seven months of the year, according to experts from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.

Below are more takeaways from NOAA's latest U.S. monthly climate report:

Climate by the numbers

July 2024

The average July temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 75.7 degrees F (2.1 degrees F above average), ranking as the 11th warmest in the 130-year record.

Temperatures were above average to record-warm across much of the contiguous U.S. California and New Hampshire had their warmest July on record, with 19 other states seeing their top-10 warmest July on record.

July precipitation across the U.S. was 3.04 inches – 0.26 of an inch above average – ranking in the wettest third of the historical record.

Precipitation was below average across much of the West, eastern parts of the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic, southern Florida and across portions of the Plains. West Virginia had its eighth-driest July on record. Conversely, precipitation was above average across much of the South, Southeast, Midwest, Great Lakes and northern New England. Illinois had its seventh wettest July, while North Carolina had its eighth wettest.

Year to date (YTD, January through July 2024)

The YTD average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 54.4 degrees F (3.2 degrees F above average), ranking as the second-warmest YTD on record.

Temperatures were above average across nearly all of the contiguous U.S., while record-warm temperatures were observed in parts of the Northeast, Great Lakes, southern Plains and Mid-Atlantic.

New Hampshire and Vermont both saw their warmest January–July period. An additional 25 states had a top-five warmest year-to-date period. All states ranked in the warmest third of the historical record during this period.

The YTD precipitation total was 20.44 inches, 2.36 inches above average, which ranked 11th -wettest on record. Precipitation was above average across a large portion of the Upper Midwest, Northeast and Deep South, with Rhode Island, Minnesota and Wisconsin each ranking second wettest. Precipitation was below average across parts of the Northwest, northern Plains and west Texas during the January–July period.

Billion-dollar disasters (January–July)

There were 19 individual billion-dollar weather and climate events across the U.S. during the first seven months of 2024, including:

• One tropical cyclone event.
• One wildfire event.
• Two winter storm events.
• 15 severe weather events.

These events resulted in at least 149 fatalities and caused more than $49.6 billion in damages (Consumer Price Index (CPI)-adjusted). Since 1980, when NOAA began tracking these events in the U.S., the nation has experienced 395 separate weather and climate disasters, where overall damages/costs reached or exceeded $1 billion (based on the CPI adjustment to 2024). The total cost of these 395 events exceeds $2.770 trillion.

Other notable highlights from this report

• Beryl barrels into the record books: On July 1, Beryl became the earliest Category 5 hurricane and the second Category 5 on record during the month of July in the Atlantic Ocean.
• Wildfires scorching the West: The Park Fire, which started July 24, is currently the fourth-largest wildfire in California history, burning more than 429,000 acres. The Thompson Fire caused more than 13,000 people to evacuate around Oroville, California, from July 2-3.
• Bringing the heat: An early July heat wave broke records in the West: Palm Springs (124 degrees F on July 5); Las Vegas (120 degrees F on July 7); Redding, California (119 degrees F on July 6); Barstow, California (118 degrees F on July 7 and 8) and Palmdale, California (115 degrees F on July 6.)

News

COVID-19 cases likely to rise

Good hygiene habits reduce the spread

Health care providers recommend COVID-19 and flu vaccines

Sick kids should stay home

Healthy habits boost the immune system

Human beings are a tribal species

Media and leaders play up tribal connections

Managing anxiety around political news

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