Currently in Chicago — August 26, 2024: Hot time in the city

The weather, currently.

After a picture-perfect weather week, Chicago turned on the heat. Tonight we will have a low near 75, then expect Monday to come in hot with a high near 95 and the humidity pushing the heat index over 100. Tuesday will be similar but even warmer. NOAA has issued an Excessive Heat Watch through Tuesday night, so please take it easy out there and keep an eye on your neighbors.

Amid the glitz and protests that the DNC drew into town, there were demonstrations and celebrations of local decarbonization efforts; food for thought if you are considering updating your own home soon.

— 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.