Climate change is exacerbating the severity of the wildfires on the West Coast, but prior and current forest management decisions, and politics, also play a huge role.
Poor air quality from West Coast wildfires have interfered with life across the region. In Los Angeles, street vendors were forced inside and parents scrambled to prevent children's asthma attacks.
The sun can affect people's electronics, the power grid and communications and navigation systems. But scientists predict that for the next decade or so, the Sun's activity will not be too disruptive.
Scientists have linked an increasing prevalence and intensity of wildfires to climate change, and residents of Western states are grappling with the dread that severe fire seasons are the new normal.
Hurricane Sally is crawling toward the northern Gulf Coast. It's been dumping rain across Florida for days. Now Alabama and Mississippi are feeling its effects.
Hurricane Sally is projected to hit somewhere along the Gulf Coast. Residents and businesses in Orange Beach, Ala., are preparing for the storm's heavy rains and strong winds.
In California, President Trump is pressed on climate change. Gulf Coast communities brace for Hurricane Sally. And, Israel is set to sign deals opening formal relations with two Arab nations.
Trump declined to acknowledge the role climate change likely plays in fueling the flames. In Delaware, Democratic challenger Joe Biden addressed the disasters' links to human-caused climate change.
In addition to dangerous smoke and fog, there is now concern that two of the biggest fires threatening cities and towns near Portland, Ore., might combine.