Currently in Chicago — August 15, 2024: Thor's Day rolling in

The weather, currently.

We could see showers moving into Chicagoland tonight, with a low of 70 under cloudy skies. Thursday is starting with a boom as a series of thunderstorms roll in, with a high around 80. Storms and showers are likely to stick with us through at least Friday and possibly even Saturday. I’m hopeful that we’ll see some sunshine again by Sunday, though.

Lots of red flags all over Lake Michigan beaches; the next few days just won’t be a good time for a swim. Check the Chicago Park District list of beaches and swim conditions before you pack your beachbag.

— 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.