Axios

Editor's note: Read the latest on Hurricane Hilary's forecast here.

Category 4 Hurricane Hilary is headed for the possible first direct hit of a tropical storm in Southern California since 1939.

The latest: A tropical storm watch is now in effect from the California/Mexico border northward to all of Los Angeles County, portions of Ventura County and Catalina Island. This is the first such severe weather alert to be issued for this part of the country.

Historic wildfires have forced over 50% of people living in Canada's Northwest Territories to evacuate this week and are threatening multiple cities in British Columbia's third-largest metropolitan area.

Why it matters: Thousands of people across Canada have been displaced in recent days as the severity of the country's worst wildfire season on record continued to grow.

A "dangerous," intensifying heat wave was forecast to bring numerous daily high record temperatures in the Central and Southeast U.S. from Friday and expand to much of the Lower 48 states by next week.

The big picture: An estimated 67 million-plus people were under extreme heat alerts Friday, as the NWS' Weather Prediction Center warned the Central Plains and Texas were at greatest immediate risk of experiencing record temperatures Friday and Saturday.

Maui Emergency Management Agency's top official resigned Thursday after facing criticism over the response to Hawai'i's catastrophic wildfires that have killed at least 111 people.

Driving the news: Herman Andaya cited "health reasons" as he resigned as the agency's administrator with immediate effect, per a Maui County statement.

AI is propelling scientists down the path of discovery — and could point them toward novel ideas they wouldn't have considered otherwise.

Why it matters: The world's problems — among them pandemics, chronic disease and climate change — are calling for scientific innovations, and fast. At the same time, discoveries that push science in new directions aren't happening as often as they once did.

Wildfires burning around Yellowknife, the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories, forced the city's government to order the evacuation of thousands of people on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Why it matters: The blazes around Yellowknife were among more than 1,000 fires burning across Canada on Thursday morning during its worst wildfire season on record.

In the wake of the devastating Hawai'i wildfires, many businesses that typically cater to the islands' tourism sector have pivoted to focus on relief efforts for locals.

Why it matters: Tourism is Hawai'i's largest industry, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across the islands.

Wildfires in Northern California near the border with Oregon have triggered evacuation orders and road closures in rural communities, as a record heat wave envelopes the Pacific Northwest.

The big picture: Red flag warnings and heat alerts were in effect as firefighters battled 20 wildfires that lightning from thunderstorms ignited Monday in the Klamath National Forest, as Redding, Northern, Calif., hit a daily record high of 112°F Wednesday.