Currently in Chicago — June 21, 2023: A warm Wednesday.

The weather, currently.

Takeaways for Chicago's weather:

1. 80s Stick Around

2. Best Chance Of Rain Sunday

3. Cool Breezes Off Lake

We will hit highs in the 80s through early next week as our warm pattern continues. Plenty of sunshine Wednesday with highs in the middle to upper 80s then partly cloudy both Thursday and Friday and a few degrees cooler. Highs top out in the lower 80s to end the week. Bouncing back into the middle to upper 80s Saturday under mostly sunny skies. Scattered showers Sunday possible both early and then later in the day along with a few rumbles of thunder with highs in the upper 80s. Another chance for some scattered showers and thunderstorms Monday as highs hit the lower 80s. Cooler lakeside every day by at least 5 to 10 degrees.

— Tim McGill

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What you need to know, currently.

The summer solstice is one of my favorite holidays, celebrating the peak of life — both its warmth and its impermanence. Some version of the solstice is celebrated in nearly every culture, whether it’s block parties and barbeque, or holding hands around a bonfire in Scandanavia. It’s the fleetingness of life, of course, that makes it so special. That is what the solstice is all about.

Solstice comes from the Latin words sol (Sun) and sistere (to stand still). It’s a moment when the sun literally stands still in the sky in relation to the other stars, and happens twice per year when Earth’s axis of rotation tilts to its most extreme point — 23.44 degrees.

In June, the Earth’s axis tilts towards the sun, creating 24-hours of daylight for places north of the Arctic Circle, and 24-hours of darkness for places south of the Antarctic Circle. Everywhere on Earth experiences either their longest or shortest night of the year.

In Sweden, one of the northernmost countries on Earth, the solstice is a major event called midsommar. In Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, the time between sunset and sunrise is only 5 hours and 27 minutes, and parties last all night.

To celebrate this year’s solstice, here’s an excerpt from my friend (and favorite poet)’s newest collection: Ephemera, by Sierra DeMulder.

—Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

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