Currently in Chicago — September 11, 2023: A few gray days ahead

I hope you got outside during this past weekend, because the sun is going into hiding for a while. We’ll have a slight chance of showers overnight and lows in the mid-60s, leading into a gray and wet Monday. Rain is likely off and on all day after sunrise, with a small possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon. We should top out at about 70°. Scattered showers will continue throughout the evening, and we might get down into the 50s. But the news isn’t all dreary: if you’ve been hit hard by ragweed pollen, you’ll see some relief with the wet weather.

— Katje Sabin

What you need to know, currently.

Sunday September 10th is the historical peak of hurricane season in the Atlantic.

This season is definitely peaking right on schedule.

Over the weekend, Hurricane Lee peaked at Category 5 — the strongest hurricane of 2023 so far — and continues on a course to potentially make landfall in Atlantic Canada or New England this weekend. That’s still at least 5 days away though, and the forecast has a lot of uncertainty baked in between now and then.

Elsewhere, Atlantic Ocean temperatures are still at record levels for mid-September, and as many as 10 additional named storms could still form between now and when hurricane season officially ends on November 30.

— Eric Holthaus

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: