Matt Charnock, Author at Underscore

Fireworks Cause Rare Wildfire in San Francisco on Telegraph Hill Along Hard-to-Reach, Narrow Road

6Jul

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, Nature + Climate Crisis, News to Know

Fireworks Cause Rare Wildfire in San Francisco on Telegraph Hill Along Hard-to-Reach, Narrow Road

A Sunday evening fire smoked in one of San Francisco's most wildfire-prone neighborhoods after a rogue firework detonated near Calhoun Terrace, igniting the precarious brush fire. Despite its urban density, San Francisco’s wildfire risk remains unusually high, with likelihoods of forest fires expected to increase around 50% over the next 30 years due to a combination of urbanization and climate crisis outcomes. That said, true wildfires remain exceedingly rare within the city limits; the vast majority of fires the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) responds to annually are structural fires. Sunday night, SFFD snuffed out a wildfire on Calhoun Terrace in the Telegraph Hill area — a rare blaze inside one of SF’s more metropolitan neighborhoods. The San Francisco Fire Department is ...

SF Corpse Flower Reaches ‘Peak Bloom,’ Drawing Thousands Before Wilting Away

29Jun

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, Nature + Climate Crisis

SF Corpse Flower Reaches ‘Peak Bloom,’ Drawing Thousands Before Wilting Away

Monday, June 29th, is likely your last chance to see the Conservatory of Flowers' sole resident corpse flower bloom ... for years. People have (again) lined up in droves at the Conservatory of Flowers to smell one of the world's largest, smelly, polarizing flowers. Scarlett, the resident corpse flower at the aforementioned greenhouse, began her unfurling early last week, perfuming the Victorian glass house with notes of rotting flesh. But the bloom (as expected) peaked for just a few days — two, exactly — before withering into compostable material. View this post on Instagram A post shared by San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers (@conservatoryofflowers) “Thank you all for visiting Scarlet dur...

One of SF’s Largest, Rarest (and Smelliest) Flowers to Bloom Any Day Now

22Jun

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Editors' Picks, Hyperlocal News + Stories, Nature + Climate Crisis

One of SF’s Largest, Rarest (and Smelliest) Flowers to Bloom Any Day Now

The last time Scarlet bloomed at the Conservatory of Flowers was nearly three years ago, drawing long lines to the greenhouse ... that smelled of rotting, sun-warmed flesh. San Francisco’s no stranger to purposefully massive, offensively malodorous flowering bodies. In fact, the seven-by-seven contains one of the largest collections of these cadaver-inspired blossoms anywhere in the country … and world. Outside of New York City and Los Angeles, which have 21 and 46 corpse flowers currently in greenhouses, respectively, San Francisco’s captive cluster is among the largest anywhere in the country. (For context: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates less than 160 mature corpse flowers remain in the wild; a cocktail of rapid deforestation and climate crisis outco...

The Weekend Catch-Up: SF Hosts Largest (Costumed) Footrace for 113th Time (Really)

19May

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

News to Know

The Weekend Catch-Up: SF Hosts Largest (Costumed) Footrace for 113th Time (Really)

Plus: An unplanned PG&E power outage left thousands of account holders without power. Bay to Breakers, often cited in cheeky Reddit threads and Instagram comment sections as SF’s version of “straight pride,” began in 1912 — six years after the city was leveled and nearly lost to widespread fires. The race, which remains one of only a handful of certified 12Ks in North America, was incepted as a moral boost post the said 1906 city-topping earthquake; over a century later, the race has remained a constant spectacle, evolving into a bipedal parade of costumed regalia … that later descends into backyard and stoop-held parties where blacking out before 2 p.m. is a justifiable norm. For 2026, the vibes were largely the same as in years prior: big, brash, and braggadocio-ish; eye-catc...

California Condor Population Soars to Over 600 Individuals, First Wild Egg Laid in NorCal Over 100 Years Doing Well

1Apr

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories

California Condor Population Soars to Over 600 Individuals, First Wild Egg Laid in NorCal Over 100 Years Doing Well

Back from the literal brink of extinction, California Condors continue to exist as a triumph of human conservation efforts — soaring even amid hostile urbanization. The conservation success story of the California condor is one, quite literally, for the history books. Brought back from the brink of extinction, a population that once numbered less than 22 individuals has, through means of careful habitat restoration and captive rearing initiatives, grown into a population now estimated to be over 600 birds strong — an over 20% increase from previous estimates. A recent report published by the United States FIsh and Wildlife Service (USFWS) confirmed 607 California condors now fly through the skies, which seems like an impossible figure; 40 years ago, only 22 of these birds — the largest...

It Really Did ‘Snow’ in San Francisco Last Week

23Feb

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, Nature + Climate Crisis

It Really Did ‘Snow’ in San Francisco Last Week

A smattering of wet weather mixed with unusually cold temperatures brought an anomaly to San Francisco: hail (that was cosplaying as “snow"). For many San Franciscans, it was the first time they’d seen any frozen precipitation grace their stoops and outside staircases. February 17th’s chilly weather saw evening citywide lows averaging about 43 degrees Fahrenheit — a far cry from normally freezing temperatures. However, in SF neighborhoods further from downtown and situated in higher elevations, the weather proved fruitful for producing hail. Unlike snow, hail forms further up in the atmosphere, with precipitation carried up from low-lying rainstorms into high-pressure storm clouds where it's met with sub-zero temperatures, crystallizing into dense, usually pea-sized ice formations befo...

SF Bay Area’s Highest Peak Sees Heavy Snow for First Time in Years

18Feb

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, Nature + Climate Crisis

SF Bay Area’s Highest Peak Sees Heavy Snow for First Time in Years

Unusually frigid weather has brought a host of wintry lows across San Francisco this week, including snowfall in higher elevations elsewhere in the SF Bay Area. Locals shouldering Mount Diablo woke up to a rare sight this morning: snow capping its peak. The San Francisco Bay Area was inundated with surprisingly cold, wet, and windy weather yesterday, particularly in the evening, when temperatures dropped into the high-30s across much of the region. Parts of the North Bay and South Bay saw freezing temperatures; elevations above 2,500 feet reported snowfall and hail last night. For Mount Diablo, the region’s highest summit, it meant the otherwise brown peak transformed into a winter wonderland with snow. And it’s not just a little bit of fluff, either. Various reports estimate...

San Francisco’s Speed Cameras Are, Indeed, Working

6Feb

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, News to Know

San Francisco’s Speed Cameras Are, Indeed, Working

Since speed cameras were first installed in San Francisco last February, an average of 40,000 speeding cars have been taken off the road each day. The survival odds between a 20mph car crash and a 40mph car crash are unnervingly stark. A pedestrian or cyclist struck by a vehicle traveling at school zone speeds has about a 90% chance of surviving that crash, with the odds of walking away without major injuries at about a coin toss. But doubling that speed sends those favorable odds on a perpetual nose dive; pedestrians and cyclists involved in car crashes at those speeds have just a 20% of surviving, and, if they do, it’s almost certain they’ll suffer life-altering major injuries as a result of their flesh meeting metal. San Francisco’s pedestrian deaths exist well within the understood...

Martha Stewart Visits Favorite SF Plant Shop

6Feb

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Hyperlocal News + Stories, Nature + Climate Crisis

Martha Stewart Visits Favorite SF Plant Shop

ICYMI, the undisputed queen of all things lifestyle, Martha Stewart, was weaving around San Francisco this weekend, dining and checking out her favorite local spots. As it so happens, Martha Stewart’s favorite SF plant shop, Flora Grubb Gardens, is world-renowned for its plant selection, aesthetic, and gardening courses — a greenhouse Stewart, herself, picked as one of the "American-made " winners for Martha Stewart Living Magazine. “I spent part of this afternoon at [Flora Grubb Gardens] visiting Flora in her plant emporium in San Francisco. Flora was one of our chosen ‘American made’ winners for Martha Stewart Living Magazine,” reads an Instagram caption. “[I] love seeing what our winners are up to. Flora has a growing farm in Southern California, a big nursery in San Francisc...

Two People Just Rode Bay Wheels Ebikes From San Francisco to San Jose for First Time Ever

5Feb

By Matt CharnockNo Comments

Editors' Picks, Hyperlocal News + Stories, Nature + Climate Crisis, News to Know

Two People Just Rode Bay Wheels Ebikes From San Francisco to San Jose for First Time Ever

With 35 miles of estimated range, a pair of pro-transit enthusiasts tested the limits of Bay Wheels ebikes, taking two from SF to SJ ... with at least a 16-mile range discrepancy in tow. San Francisco is an epicenter for the nation’s micromobility movement — set inside a region that’s changing and defining the future of car-free travel. Cargo bikes are becoming the new minivans across the seven-by-seven; ebike sales continue skyrocketing in the San Francisco Bay Area as people shift their primary means of transportation away from steering wheels and onto handlebars; Bay Wheels, the region’s primary bikeshare force, is growing more popular every year, with new stations coming online at a welcome pace. For those already privy to the Lyf-owned bikeshare, its most recent ebike model, r...