Currently in Chicago — November 16, 2023: One more warm day... and an earthquake!

The weather, currently.

Thursday night will be clear, dropping down to around 45. Thursday will be our last warm day for a while, a little cloudy with a high near 65. The wind will pick up a bit too, with gusts up to 30mph. We’ll have a chance of showers overnight and into Friday, but the weekend should be clear and dry.

As a native San Franciscan, earthquakes are both normal phenomena and potentially serious threats. In my 20 years living in the Midwest, I’ve never felt one. However, early Wednesday morning, a rare temblor hit the northern part of Illinois. Did you feel it?

— Katje Sabin

What you need to know, currently.

I’ll just get right to it: Currently’s new weather service is now live.

The first round of invites have been sent to those of you who opted in early via this week’s survey. I’ll be sending out more invitations on Thursday with a special discount to a few thousand of our VIP Currently subscribers — those who’ve supported us and been our most avid fans. If you’d like to put your name on the waiting list, be sure to fill out our baseline survey if you haven’t already which will hold your spot in line.

Space is limited in the weather service because I want to make sure we can provide the highest quality service we possibly can while we work to refine the system with your input.

In the weeks and months ahead, we’ll be continually adding more features and opening up more slots as we develop the service.

Our goal — as always — is to co-create the most personalized, most informative weather service that exists. And, above all, to make this service accessible, equitable, and resilient enough to bring safety and joy to the climate emergency.

Everyone deserves to thrive. Everyone is worthy of a better world. And this is our part to make those truths a reality. Thank you for helping make this moment possible.

— Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

Currently Sponsorships are short messages we co-write with you to plug your org, event, or climate-friendly business with Currently subscribers. It’s a chance to boost your visibility with Currently — one of the world’s largest daily climate newsletters — and support independent climate journalism, all at the same time. Starting at just $105.