The Columbian

Weather & Climate

An aircraft drops water over a a wildfire in Vilia area some 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of Athens, Greece, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. Greece's fire department scrambled firefighting aircraft and ground forces as at least two new blazes broke out in areas already scarred by wildfires this summer, with strong winds complicating efforts to contain them.

Greece wildfires: 2 new blazes break out amid strong winds

August 23, 2021, 9:10am Nation & World

Greece scrambled firefighting aircraft and ground forces Monday as at least two new blazes broke out in areas already scarred by wildfires this summer, with strong winds complicating the efforts to contain them. Read story

Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Weather Eye: No heat waves or soaking rains in our near future

August 22, 2021, 6:04am Clark County News

With a cool air mass over us, we struggled to reach 70 degrees Saturday. As of 5 p.m., Vancouver had a high of 69 degrees, which may have reached 70 after I wrote this column. Still, it is unusual for August to have such cool high temperatures. Read story

Robin Berthet, of Sheffield, Mass., watches as his sailboat is hauled out of the water onto dry land in advance of an expected storm, Friday Aug. 20, 2021, in Plymouth, Mass. New Englanders, bracing for their first direct hit by a hurricane in 30 years, are taking precautions as Tropical Storm Henri barrels toward the southern New England coast.

Hurricane Henri: What to know as rare storm heads to Northeast

August 21, 2021, 2:41pm Nation & World

As Hurricane Henri heads toward New York and New England, here's everything to know about this weekend's weather that's tropical in name, but far from its titular home. Read story

FILE - In this Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, file photo, in a long time exposure photo, embers fly from burning trees as the Caldor Fire growing on Mormom Emigrant Trail east of Sly Park, Calif. California has already surpassed the acreage burned at this point last year, which ended up setting the record. Now it's entering a period when powerful winds have often driven the deadliest blazes.

California’s wildfires already erratic; worst may be ahead

August 20, 2021, 12:57pm Latest News

Smoke from California’s wildfires choked people on the East Coast. Flames wiped out a gold rush-era town. The acreage burned would dwarf the state of Rhode Island. Read story

FILE - In this Aug. 20, 1991, file photo, boat owners gather their belongings along the shore in Dartmouth, Mass., after Hurricane Bob swept through southern Massachusetts. New Englanders, bracing for their first direct hit by a hurricane in 30 years, are taking precautions as Tropical Storm Henri barrels toward the southern New England coast.

New England preps for 1st hurricane in 30 years with Henri

August 20, 2021, 12:30pm Nation & World

New Englanders bracing for their first direct hit by a hurricane in 30 years began hauling boats out of the water and taking other precautions Friday as Tropical Storm Henri barreled toward the Northeast coast. Read story

A road sign brought down by the winds of Hurricane Grace straddles one lane of a highway in Tulum, Quintana Roo state, Mexico, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. The Category 1 storm made landfall at 4:45 a.m., just south of the ancient Mayan temples of Tulum, pelting the Caribbean coast with heavy rain and pushing a dangerous storm surge.

Grace heads for a second hurricane hit on Mexican coast

August 20, 2021, 8:25am Nation & World

Hurricane Grace — temporarily knocked back to tropical storm force — headed Friday for a second landfall in Mexico, this time taking aim at the Gulf coast after crashing through the country’s main tourist strip. Read story

NCDOT workers assess damage to a bridge spanning the Pigeon River, Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021, in Bethel, N.C., after remnants from Tropical Storm Fred caused flooding in parts of Western North Carolina Tuesday. Search and rescue teams continue to search the area as 20 people are missing and 2 people were found dead.

2 dead, 20 missing in North Carolina county flooded by Fred

August 19, 2021, 1:29pm Nation & World

Authorities combing areas of North Carolina flooded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred said Thursday that two people have been found dead and about 20 were unaccounted for. Read story

Weather Eye: Lower-than-average temperatures will linger a while

August 19, 2021, 6:08am Clark County News

Wednesday’s weather was ideal, with highs in the middle 70s, some northwest winds and mostly sunny skies. It was even good sleeping weather around the county, with overnight lows in the 50s. We may reach 80 degrees today, but with that large low in the Gulf of Alaska I mentioned… Read story

Members of North Carolina's Task Force 11, based in New Hanover County, are shown during rescue efforts in Canton, N.C, on Tuesday.

Tropical Depression Fred blows north threatens floods in New York

August 18, 2021, 6:16pm Nation & World

Tropical Depression Fred blew into the northeastern U.S. on Wednesday, unleashing heavy rains and threatening to cause mudslides and flash floods in upstate New York after closing highways in the lower Appalachians. Dozens of people were rescued from flooded areas in North Carolina after downpours washed out bridges and swamped… Read story

A car attempts to drive through flood waters near Peachtree Creek near Atlanta, as Tropical Storm Fred makes its way through north and central Georgia on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021.

Tropical Depression Fred threatens mudslides in New York

August 18, 2021, 8:25am Nation & World

Tropical Depression Fred swirled over West Virginia early Wednesday and dumped heavy rain over the northeastern U.S., threatening to unleash mudslides and flash floods in upstate New York after closing interstate highways in the lower Appalachians. Tornado watches remained in effect for mountainous areas of Virginia and the Carolinas. Read story