- Currently Chicago
- Posts
- Currently in Chicago — August 4, 2023: Wet end to the weekend
Currently in Chicago — August 4, 2023: Wet end to the weekend
Plus, Iran implements nationwide shutdown due to 'unprecedented heat'
Tim McGill & Eric Holthaus
August 03, 2023
The weather, currently.
Decent end to the week
Takeaways for Chicago’s weather:
1. Mostly dry Friday & Saturday
2. Soggy at times on Sunday
3. Dropping Back Below Average Monday
We end the week with a mix of sun and clouds on Friday and only a slight chance for a scattered shower or thunderstorm as highs hit the middle 80s but cooler lakeside. Partly to mostly cloudy Saturday with highs again in the middle 80s and upper 70s lakeside. Seasonably warm Sunday with middle 80s for highs and on and off scattered showers and thunderstorms. Turning cooler on Monday with highs hitting the upper 70s under mostly cloudy skies with some scattered showers. Dry for the middle of next week with highs in the lower to middle 80s.
What you need to know, currently.
Government officials in Iran suddenly declared a nationwide holiday due to ‘unprecedented heat’ this week, an alarming development in this record-breaking warm year.
Shops, government offices, banks, and schools have been closed across Iran since Wednesday, and reports say the nationwide shutdown could be extended further. One report calls it the first-ever nationwide shutdown due to heat in world history. On Tuesday, the heat index at Persian Gulf International Airport in southern Iran reached 149°F (65.0°C).
A new daily record in electricity consumption during last month’s heatwave in Iran have prompted some inside Iran to speculate that the shutdown is more likely due to a shortage of hydropower generating capacity, perhaps due to government mismanagement of water resources.
Power outages were frequent during last year’s nationwide protests, but this year — despite higher temperatures — electricity has been more reliable, meaning that government water managers may have drawn down reservoirs beyond critical levels in an attempt to prevent public outrage under the new president Ebrahim Raisi.
Power consumption has also hit record highs in recent weeks in Egypt, and power outages are occurring in Iraq and Lebanon.
What you can do, currently.
Currently is now a member of the Covering Climate Now partnership, a resource-sharing initiative devoted to making sure the biggest story in human history is told in ways that resonate with everyone.
Take a look at the list of our new partners and maybe find a new favorite podcast or website to support!