Currently in Chicago — June 14, 2023: Clouds then clearing.

Plus, India's boom-bust rainfall year is getting worse.

AuthorAuthor

Eric Holthaus & Tim McGill
June 13, 2023

The weather, currently.

Clouds then clearing.

Takeaways for Chicago's weather:

1. Warmer By Weekend

2. Putting A Dent In The Drought

3. No Extreme Heat

Wednesday starts with clouds but clearing skies come later in the day as highs hit the middle 70s. Almost a carbon copy of that weather for Thursday but a slight chance for a shower or thunderstorm. A fantastic Friday with sunshine as highs hit the middle 70s. A sunny start Saturday then partly cloudy with a few afternoon/evening showers as highs climb to near 80 degrees. A mix of clouds and sun Sunday with a few scattered showers and thunderstorms and highs in the upper 70s. Warmer by early next week with highs into the lower 80s by Monday.

What you need to know, currently.

South Asia faces a new extreme weather threat: Cyclone Biparjoy is expected to make landfall near the Pakistan/India border on Thursday.

Biparjoy is now one of the strongest/longest lasting cyclones ever measured in the Indian Ocean basin. Thankfully, Biparjoy should be weakening by the time it makes landfall, but it’s still expected to bring more than 200mm (7.87 in) of rainfall and coastal storm surge of 2-3 meters (6-10 ft) to parts of Gujarat state in India.

This year’s Indian Ocean cyclone season activity is running at 392% of normal — a sharp contrast the the extremely meager rains of monsoon season so far, which are 55% below normal. Comprehensive tropical cyclone records in the Indian Ocean began in 1972, and monsoon records date back to 1871.

This year’s boom-bust rainfall pattern in India fits with the pattern of how climate change affects the hydrologic cycle, prompting an increase in frequency in both droughts and floods at the same time.

What you can do, currently.

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Thank you for taking this exciting journey with us!

—Eric Holthaus