Currently in Chicago — July 17, 2024: Sunny days chasing the storms away

The weather, currently.

After that intense storm brought at least ten tornados, power outages, and other wind damage to the Chicago area, we’ll remain under a flood watch until Wednesday morning (remember, don’t drive into flooded areas on a road, it’s not worth the risk!).

Tonight will be mild with lows in the mid-60s, and Wednesday should be sunny with a few clouds arriving midday, with a comfortable high in the mid-70s. This pattern will continue at least through the weekend, and hopefully Lake Michigan swim conditions will all be clear by then (here’s how to check if swimming is allowed at your favorite beaches).

— 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.