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LOS ANGELES (AP) — California was lashed by powerful winds Wednesday that caused humidity levels to drop and raised the risk of wildfires in much of the state.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A couple in their 70s who served as election poll workers were among at least five people killed in Missouri after torrential rains caused flash flooding across the state.

BC Hydro shared a photo of a damaged and burnt substation.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Rafael strengthened to near hurricane intensity Tuesday night, as it barreled toward the Cayman Islands and Cuba, where it was forecast to hit as a hurricane.

Tens of thousands of people were without power from the windstorm.

"It's shocking watching it back."

British Columbia's Crown utility says crews have restored power to 95 per cent of some 290,000 businesses and homes that were in the dark at some point Monday as strong winds battered coastal areas and parts of the central Interior.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Rafael formed Monday in the Caribbean and will bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening into a hurricane and likely hitting Cuba, forecasters said.

More than 80,000 households are without power across British Columbia as strong winds batter coastal areas and a large swath of the central Interior.

MAUMERE, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said Monday that at least 10 people have died as a series of volcanic eruptions widens on the remote island of Flores.