Currently in Miami — August 22, 2023: Dodging storms

The weather, currently.

Dry air tailing Tropical Depression Nine, which in its fledgling stage passed south of Florida late last week, will continue limiting rain chances on Tuesday. Much like on Monday, showers will be light and scattered at best, focused primarily over the interior due to the easterly sea breeze and toward the south where the highest levels of moisture be present. Any thunderstorm activity will be isolated. Additional showers will form overnight just offshore, with some likely making their way onto the immediate coast. With less rain and more sunshine, daily temperatures will be warming early this week. Highs should reach 90 degrees in most areas, and as much as the mid-90s for the most inland communities, but overnight lows will stay at or below 80 degrees on Tuesday night.

El tiempo, actualmente.

El aire seco que sigue a la Depresión Tropical Nueve, que en su estapa formativa pasó al sur de la Florida a finales de la semana pasada, continuará suprimiendo las posibilidades de lluvia el martes. Al igual que el lunes, los aguaceros serán ligeros y no más que dispersos, enfocados principalmente en el interior debido a la brisa marina del este y hacia el sur donde se presentarán los niveles más altos de humedad atmosférica. De haber tormentas eléctricas serán aisladas. Se formarán aguaceros adicionales durante la noche cerca de la costa, y es probable que algunas se dirijan a la costa inmediata. Con menos lluvia y más sol, las temperaturas diarias calentarán a principios de esta semana. Las máximas deberían alcanzar los 90 grados en la mayoría de las áreas, y hasta el rango medio de los 90 para las comunidades del interior, pero las mínimas nocturnas permanecerán en 80 grados o menos el martes por la noche..

—John Morales

What you need to know, currently.

Ecuador has voted 59%-41% to protect its Yasuní UNESCO world biosphere reserve in the Amazon from oil drilling.

According to the ‘yes’ campaign, this is the first time in world history that a country has voted to prohibit oil drilling in order to protect its own biodiversity.

“The Amazon is worth more intact than in pieces, as are its people,” said Antonia Juhasz, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, which supported the ‘yes’ campaign.

According to the Guardian, “the move will keep about 726m barrels of oil underground in the Yasuní National Park, which is also home to the Tagaeri and Taromenane people, two of the world’s last “uncontacted” Indigenous communities living in voluntary isolation.”

The victory comes in the middle of what’s expected to be the hottest year in history and serves as further momentum for protecting the Amazon after deforestation in Brazil has slowed markedly this year under the leadership of the country’s new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

—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.