- Currently Chicago
- Posts
- Currently in Chicago — July 7, 2023: Cooler pattern continues
Currently in Chicago — July 7, 2023: Cooler pattern continues
Plus, the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season forecast just got worse.
Eric Holthaus & Tim McGill
July 06, 2023
The weather, currently.
Cooler pattern continues
Takeaways for Chicago's weather:
1. Cooler Pattern Even With 80s
2. A Few Strong Storms Saturday?
3. More Sunshine Sunday
A mix of sun and clouds on a relatively cooler Friday as highs hit the upper 70s but cooler lakeside. A few showers possible early Saturday then some scattered showers and thunderstorms later in the afternoon but mostly cloudy most of the day with highs in the upper 70s and cooler lakeside. Warmer with more sun on Sunday as highs hit the lower 80s but cooler lakeside. Middle 80s on Monday under partly to mostly sunny skies with a few afternoon showers possible. A carbon copy of Monday’s weather on Tuesday but cooler lakeside.
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.
On Thursday, researchers at Colorado State University released an updated seasonal hurricane forecast for the Atlantic, boosting their outlook to 18 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes — all of which are well above long-term averages.
The forecasters cite record-warm ocean temperatures as the main reason for the worse forecast. “Most of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic now has record warm sea surface temperatures,” they write, which they anticipate will offset the effect from El Niño, which typically creates stronger upper-atmospheric winds that can complicate hurricane formation.
The forecasters give this helpful note to remind coastal residents to start making their hurricane season plans now:
The probability of U.S. major hurricane landfall is estimated to be above the long-period average. As is the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them.
Climate change has boosted the odds that any given hurricane will reach Category 3 or greater, the most destructive type. Six of the past 7 hurricane seasons have had more hurricanes than the long-term average number of hurricanes per year.
