Currently in Miami — July 19, 2023: Hot readings look to get hotter

The weather, currently.

There is no relief in sight to the unrelenting heat we have been experiencing in South Florida this summer. Temperatures will once again exceed 90 degrees while heat indices approach 105-108 °F on Wednesday. Heat Advisories will remain in effect. Abnormally warm sea surface temperatures along the Florida coasts will only further intensify the heat this week, and temperatures will rise into the mid to upper 90s and heat indices will peak between 106 and 112 degrees by the weekend. This heat will contribute to shower and thunderstorm formation on Wednesday when moisture levels are higher, but conditions will gradually become drier later this week.

El tiempo, actualmente.

No hay alivio del calor implacable que hemos estado experimentando en el sur de Florida este verano. Las temperaturas volverán a superar los 90 grados, mientras que los índices de calor se acercarán a los 105-108 °F el miércoles. Las Advertencias de Calor seguirán vigentes. Las temperaturas del mar anormalmente cálidas a lo largo de las costas de Florida solo intensificarán aún más el calor esta semana. El mercurio subirá al rango medio de los 90 y los índices de calor alcanzarán un máximo de entre 106 y 112 grados para el fin de semana. Este calor contribuirá a la formación de aguaceros y tormentas eléctricas el miércoles cuando los niveles de humedad sean más altos, pero las condiciones gradualmente se volverán más secas a finales de esta semana.

—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.

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Thank you!!

What you need to know, currently.

Temperatures across the Mediterranean are reaching new all-time highs this week. The latest heat wave will peak on Wednesday, and there’s a chance that southern Sicily could top the all-time European record of 49°C (120°F).

While the headlines are focused on tourists, the real story is the added plight the heat wave is putting on human health and the environment, prompting ‘dramatic’ ecosystem changes and extra stressors for migrants.

Rome recorded the hottest temperature in its long history on Tuesday, 42.9°C (109.1°F). Tunisia reached 48.1°C (119°F) this week — along the dangerous migrant route from Africa to Europe.

The heat wave comes as the EU signed a new deal with Tunisia this week in an attempt to keep more migrants in Tunisia. According to UN data, about 11 children die every week crossing the Mediterranean from Tunisia to Italy. More than 27,000 people died or are missing over the past 10 years trying to get to Europe from Africa. Even more die in north Africa deserts after being abandoned by smugglers with little food or water.

Water temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea are at all-time highs, peaking at 30.4°C (86.7°F) off the coast of Italy, a temperature more typical of the Caribbean, about 20 degrees latitude to the south. All that warm weather is surging humidity across the region, and leaving overnight heat index values in the upper 30s Celsius (90s Fahrenheit) — hot enough to cause deadly heat stroke.

This is what climate change looks like, when so many people seeking a better life are subjected to the violence and injustice of rising temperatures — whether in the Mediterranean or the Rio Grande or in the Himalayas. American poet Amanda Gorman has a new poem this week in the New York Times commemorating the Mediterranean migrants’ plight.

—Eric Holthaus