Currently in Miami — July 11, 2023: Unprecedented heat

The weather, currently.

The heat Miami is seeing this summer is unprecedented. On Monday the city experienced a second consecutive day in which the heat index reached 109 °F or higher for the first time ever. It was also the 5th straight day of 105-or-greater heat index—also a record. Similar dangerous heat is expected on Tuesday and for much of the week as abundant sunshine and record-hot ocean water around Florida prolongs the heatwave. Between Wednesday and Thursday there could be a shift in the weather pattern enough to bring rain and thunderstorms back, and therefore temporary relief to the stifling heat.

El tiempo, actualmente.

El calor que está experimentando Miami este verano no tiene precedentes. El lunes, la ciudad experimentó por primera vez un segundo día consecutivo en el que el índice de calor alcanzó los 109 °F o más. También fue el quinto día consecutivo con un índice de calor de 105 o más, también un récord. Se espera un calor peligroso similar el martes y durante gran parte de la semana, ya que la abundante luz solar y el agua del océano con temperaturas récord alrededor de Florida prolongan la ola de calor. Entre el miércoles y el jueves podría haber un cambio en el patrón del tiempo lo suficiente como para traer lluvia y tormentas eléctricas y, por lo tanto, un alivio temporal del calor sofocante.

—John Morales

What you can do, currently.

The climate emergency doesn’t take the summer off. In fact — as we’ve been reporting — we’re heading into an El Niño that could challenge historical records and is already supercharging weather and climate impacts around the world.

When people understand the weather they are experiencing is caused by climate change it creates a more compelling call to action to do something about it.

If these emails mean something important to you — and more importantly, if the idea of being part of a community that’s building a weather service for the climate emergency means something important to you — please chip in just $5 a month to continue making this service possible.

Thank you!!

What you need to know, currently.

India’s crucial monsoon rains have had a rollercoaster season so far.

The India-wide rainfall index has now officially shifted to an above-average season — though the season itself has been anything but average. During the onset phase in early June, rains were at least a week late, bringing prolonged heatwaves and droughts across the entire subcontinent. Now, those same rains have shifted into overdrive bringing massive flooding that has swept away cars and homes and bridges.

This “weather whiplash” is a characteristic of climate change, where extra heat in the atmosphere manifests itself in a sped-up hydrologic cycle, paradoxically bringing more intense droughts and more intense floods sometimes to the same place in quick succession.

Monday was the rainiest July day in Delhi in at least 40 years, forcing authorities to close schools. Further north in the Himalayas, more than 700 roads were closed by mudslides and washouts.

—Eric Holthaus