Currently in Chicago — November 20, 2023: Cloudy and a chance of rain

The weather, currently.

After a clear cool weekend, tonight will see the clouds start to roll in. We’ll have a low of 42 and a little wind, then Monday we have a chance of rain, mostly in the later afternoon, and a high around 48. Monday night and Tuesday are likely to be rainy, so if you are traveling, please take it easy… I’m grateful for all of my readers and I don’t want to lose any of you!

Fellow gardeners, if you’ve felt like your zone hardiness estimates have been a little off over the last few years, you are not alone. The USDA just updated their map, and about half of the country has shifted. You’re not crazy!

— Katje Sabin

What you need to know, currently.

On Friday night in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil a fan of Taylor Swift tragically died at her concert during a major heatwave.

According to Brazilian news (Portuguese link) more than 1,000 fans required medical treatment with the heat index rising to 59.7°C (139°F) — conditions so extreme they are almost unlivable.

There are a lot of rumors circulating about exactly what happened, but one thing is clear: this was not an isolated incident.

On the very same day, globally averaged temperatures surpassed 2.0°C above pre-industrial levels for the very first time.

Sadly, this is what climate change looks like — complex, compounding tragedies that occur with increasing frequency.

— Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

Everyone deserves to thrive. Everyone is worthy of a better world. That’s why we’re building a weather service for the climate emergency.

Currently’s new weather service is now live. In the weeks and months ahead, we’ll be continually adding more features and opening up more slots as we develop the service.

But for now, 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.

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.

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.