Currently in Chicago — August 13, 2024: Clear skies and sunshine

The weather, currently.

Our seasonable temperature streak will continue for at least the next few days. Monday night will see a few clouds sticking around and a low near 60. The clouds will gradually clear and Tuesday should be bright and sunny with a high in the upper 70s, possibly topping 80 inland, then dropping into the upper 60s overnight.

My garden groups are full of photos of monarch caterpillars on milkweed plants. This important pollinator has been dealt blow after blow from pesticides and habitat destruction, but this is one case where home gardeners can make a difference, according to a Field Museum study (gift link).

— Katje Sabin

What you can do, currently.

A Media Matters analysis found that last year — the hottest calendar year on record — network coverage of climate actually declined in the US. What’s worse, just 12% of reports about climate change mentioned fossil fuels as the driving cause. The media still reported on extreme weather, but stopped short of making the climate connection.

Independent climate journalism like Currently is needed more than ever. And this year, with all of these weather warnings already underway, we’ll unfortunately have plenty of opportunities to do better.