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COLUMBIA, Tenn.

WAILUKU, Hawaii (AP) — Nine months after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century struck Maui, Mayor Richard Bissen says the county will hire an outside expert to assess how its emergency management agency performed during the disaster.

"A severe geomagnetic storm includes the potential for aurora to be seen as far south as Alabama and Northern California"

OTTAWA — The start to wildfire season has been far less dramatic than it was last year but the risk of hot, dry weather and severe fires remains high, officials warned Thursday.

Parts of British Columbia will likely enter "unfamiliar territory" with drought if they see another hot, dry summer, says the head of the province's River Forecast Centre. Dave Campbell says persistent drought conditions in СÀ¶ÊÓƵ

"It was a very bright green, beautiful orb," said one Kelowna resident.

DETROIT (AP) — The first-ever tornado emergency in Michigan was issued Tuesday, one of many called across the country in recent weeks as severe weather tears through states in the Plains and Midwest.

DUNCAN, СÀ¶ÊÓƵ — Images of steelhead and trout flicker over long sheets of paper, brought to life in blue and green crayon rubbings by the thousands.

DETROIT (AP) — Severe storms battered the Midwest on Tuesday, unleashing a curtain of heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes throughout the region a day after a deadly twister ripped through a small Oklahoma town and killed at least one person.

More should be spent on prevention and mitigation, including FireSmart initiatives, says wildfire researcher.