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- Currently in Chicago — October 27, 2023: Warm and wet, then cold... really cold!
Currently in Chicago — October 27, 2023: Warm and wet, then cold... really cold!
Plus, a scary new prognosis for ice in Antarctica.
Eric Holthaus & Katje Sabin
October 26, 2023
The weather, currently.
Wet weekend will end with a freeze
We are going to swing from about 75 degrees on Friday down to the upper 20s on Sunday night, so this is your last chance for outdoor winter prep: move potted plants to shelter, mulch exposed in-ground plants, remove hoses… you know the drill.
Thursday night will be rainy with a chance of isolated thunderstorms and a low of 62. Friday will see a 70% chance of rain and a high of 74, with increasing chances of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm and a low around 43 on Friday night. Saturday will be partly sunny, just breaking 50 degrees, and Saturday night will bring more showers and a low of 44. Showers are also likely on Sunday, with a high in the mid-40s, and Sunday night could drop as low as 29 with a chance of wintry mix to finish up the weekend.
What you need to know, currently.
Ocean warming will triple for the rest of this century near the vulnerable West Antarctica ice sheet, according to a new study out this week. Even more worrying, over the next ~20 years, there is no statistical difference between the course global emissions take and the melt rates of key ice shelves which hold back enormous Antarctic glaciers.
We’ve spent the last few years modelling the future of the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica, and I regret to inform you that it’s not good news.
— Dr Kaitlin Naughten (@kaitlinnaughten)
3:12 PM • Oct 23, 2023
Here’s more, from The Guardian:
Accelerated ice melt in west Antarctica is inevitable for the rest of the century no matter how much carbon emissions are cut, research indicates. The implications for sea level rise are “dire”, scientists say, and mean some coastal cities may have to be abandoned.
The ice sheet of west Antarctica would push up the oceans by 5 metres if lost completely. Previous studies have suggested it is doomed to collapse over the course of centuries, but the new study shows that even drastic emissions cuts in the coming decades will not slow the melting.
It’s times like these that I always refer back to the original scientists that conduct these important studies. In this case, I’ll give the final word to Kaitlin Naughten, the scientist for the British Antarctic Survey that led the study’s research: “I would hate for people to read this story and think “we should give up on climate action, we’re all doomed anyway”. We must remember that West Antarctica is just one cause of sea level rise, and sea level rise is just one impact of climate change.”
Basically: It is never, ever too late.
Naughten’s parallel essay on her team’s findings is worth a read for everyone — and a worthy call to courage in a time of bad climate news.
What you can do, currently.
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One of my favorite organizations, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, serves as a hub of mutual aid efforts focused on climate action in emergencies — like hurricane season. Find mutual aid network near you and join, or donate to support existing networks:
