Currently in Chicago — July 10, 2024: Beryl remnants bring flood watch

The weather, currently.

The tattered remains of Beryl, the earliest Cat 5 storm on record, are advancing north all the way up to the lower Great Lakes. This means we are looking at showers and possible thunderstorms through Wednesday afternoon.

The size of this system means we might get up to an inch of water overnight, along with potential flooding. The local water authority has issued a water overflow alert, so cut back on showers and laundry if you can.

At least the temps will be moderate; in the mid 60s tonight and the upper 70s tomorrow. The storms will then head northeast, leaving sunny skies throughout the weekend.

— 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.