Currently in Chicago — June 30, 2023: Only a few Friday storms.

The weather, currently.

Takeaways for Chicago's weather:

1. Air Quality Improves Friday

2. More Active Pattern Continues

3. Cooler Couple Of Days Then Warm Up

Air quality should improve into the moderate range for Friday and this weekend. More clouds than sun on Friday with just a few scattered showers and thunderstorms possible early and late as highs hit the lower 90s. Little change Saturday with mostly cloudy skies and rain chances early and late but several dry hours as highs cool into the lower 80s. Even cooler Sunday as highs slide back into the middle 70s with on and off showers and a chance for an isolated thunderstorm. More sun Monday with just a few showers possible as highs hit the middle 70s. Turning up the heat for the 4th with mostly sunny skies and highs in the upper 80s. Cooler lakeside almost every day with highs 5 to 10 degrees cooler than outlying areas.

— Tim McGill

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What you can do, currently.

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What you need to know, currently.

For the first time in nearly four years, the state of Colorado is drought-free.

Last May, drought covered more than 93% of the state. That number is now down to 0%, according to the latest Drought Monitor. This is great news for a state that has defined the western drought for decades, complete with wintertime wildfires, decimated snowpack, and a plunging Colorado River.

The turnaround is not without its downsides, of course. Waves of severe weather, hailstorms, and flooding have struck the Denver metro area in recent weeks with more than 200% of normal rainfall so far this year.

The next three years are critical for the future trajectory of Colorado, and of the entire Colorado River basin, as federal officials have begun a process to renegotiate with states on new rules governing water use over 250,000 square miles (650,000 sq km).

In the future, large scale rewilding efforts to reintroduce wolves, beavers, and other keystone species of healthy wetlands in the Rocky Mountains show promise if coupled with efforts to phase out water-intensive industrial-scale agriculture and ranching in these sensitive areas.

—Eric Holthaus