• Currently Chicago
  • Posts
  • Currently in Chicago — July 24, 2023: Hottest week of the year so far?

Currently in Chicago — July 24, 2023: Hottest week of the year so far?

Plus, Typhoon Doksuri is rapidly strengthening as it approaches the Philippines and Taiwan.

AuthorAuthor

Tim McGill & Eric Holthaus
July 23, 2023

The weather, currently.

Finally feeling like summer.

Takeaways for Chicago’s weather:

1. Turning up the heat

2. Best chance of rain Friday

3. More help with the drought

Plenty of sunshine Tuesday as highs warm into the upper 80s. A mix of sun and clouds on Wednesday with some scattered showers and thunderstorms possible early and late as highs hit the lower 90s. Partly to mostly sunny Thursday and steamy with highs in the lower 90s. Just as hot on Friday with a chance for a few afternoon showers and thunderstorms but partly to mostly sunny most of the day. The weekend starts off slightly cooler Saturday with highs in the upper 80s (cooler lakeside) with a few afternoon showers possible.

What you can do, currently.

The climate emergency doesn’t take the summer off. In fact — as we’ve been reporting — we’re heading into an El Niño that could challenge historical records and is already supercharging weather and climate impacts around the world.

When people understand the weather they are experiencing is caused by climate change it creates a more compelling call to action to do something about it.

If these emails mean something important to you — and more importantly, if the idea of being part of a community that’s building a weather service for the climate emergency means something important to you — please chip in just $5 a month to continue making this service possible.

Thank you!!

What you need to know, currently.

Typhoon Doksuri has rapidly strengthened over the weekend and is now approaching the Philippines with a chance at becoming a super typhoon.

Doksuri’s track has been shifting slightly south over the past day or so, increasing the threat to the northern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and diminishing the threat somewhat for Taiwan. However, if Doksuri makes landfall in Taiwan, it will be the island’s first typhoon in six years — a long streak for one of the most typhoon-prone places in the world.

Super typhoons have sustained wind speeds of at least 150 mph (241 kph) and are by far the most damaging type of typhoons. (A typhoon, hurricane, and tropical cyclone are all different regional words for the same thing.) Back in May, Super Typhoon Mawar, the 2023 season’s first super typhoon, became one of the strongest typhoons ever to strike the island of Guam.