Currently in Portland — August 21, 2023: Smoke continues

The weather, currently.

We’ve been getting a few refreshing cool breezes, but unfortunately, we need to think twice before throwing open windows to enjoy them. Right when we need the relief the most, wildfire smoke is posing a risk. Check out this map to learn about wildfires in the area. If you’ve got air purifiers in the house, it might be a good idea to run them. Air quality aside, Monday should top out around 80 degrees, which is pretty reasonable given our current numbers. This week also marks the countdown to pumpkin spice season — which is helping me fantasize about cooler days.

— Stella Harris

What you need to know, currently.

Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall in Los Angeles County on Sunday night, causing record rainfall, damaging flash flooding, and countless landslides.

And to top it all off, a M5.1 earthquake struck in Ventura County right in the middle of the storm. Thankfully, the earthquake seemed to cause little or no damage.

Hilary was the first tropical storm to make landfall on the US West Coast since modern recordkeeping began in 1949.

At the time this newsletter was sent on Sunday evening, flooding across Southern California still seemed to be ramping up. Authorities were conducting high-water rescues, and the National Weather Service was begging people to stay home as rainfall rates escalated in the evening hours

Hilary is a large storm, with clouds and associated rainfall stretching all the way from the US-Mexico border to the US-Canada border.

Flooding is likely to be widespread across southern California and southern Nevada on Monday, after which we’ll be able to get a fuller assessment of this historic storm.

—Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

The fires in Maui have struck at the heart of Hawaiian heritage, and if you’d like to support survivors, here are good places to start:

The fires burned through the capital town of the Kingdom of Hawaii, the ancestral and present home to native Hawaiians on their original unceded lands. One of the buildings destroyed was the Na ‘Aikane o Maui cultural center, a gathering place for the Hawaiian community to organize and celebrate.

If you’d like to help the community rebuild and restore the cultural center, a fund has been established that is accepting donations — specify “donation for Na ‘Aikane” on this Venmo link.