Currently en Puerto Rico — 14 de agosto, 2023: Polvo sahariano y mucho calor

El tiempo, currently.

El calor excesivo será el riesgo más grave en Puerto Rico para el inicio de la semana debido al tiempo más despejado provocado por los altos niveles de polvo sahariano. De hecho, este polvo reducirá en gran medida la visibilidad, ya que alcanzará concentraciones severas a extremas en términos ópticos. La amenaza de calor aumentará junto con el polvo entre el lunes y el martes. Por lo tanto, aunque una Advertencia de Calor estará vigente para ambos días, aguaceros localizados y tronadas aisladas podrían brindar alivio en algunas áreas el lunes cuando los índices de calor deberán superar 108 grados. Pero las posibilidades de lluvia serán mínimas el martes cuando los índices de calor alcanzarán los 110 en áreas urbanas y de baja elevación, particularmente en el norte.

—John Toohey-Morales

What you need to know, currently.

This week will feature temperatures as high as 110°F (43.3°C) in Oregon for several consecutive days. Although daytime highs won’t likely surpass the incredible June 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave — which had an estimated 1-in-10,000 year recurrence interval — overnight lows are expected to stay warm, and add to the danger of this event.

Red flag warnings are in effect for the entire length of the Cascades, from southern Oregon to the Canadian border where many areas are currently in a severe drought. Stray thunderstorms are in the forecast, and any fires that start could quickly spread out of control.

“There is high confidence in a dangerous heat wave in the Pacific Northwest,” warned the National Weather Service over the weekend. “Locations in the interior valleys and lower elevations of western Oregon could see one of their hottest five-day stretches on record (by average temperature), with 100+ degree highs likely.”

Firefighters across Washington and Oregon are currently battling 7 large fires and have boosted their preparedness level and prepositioned people and equipment to deal with more, if necessary.

—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.