Currently in Miami — July 27, 2023: Rain brings temporary heatwave relief

The weather, currently.

Enhanced moisture and the presence of an upper-level trough will support additional scattered showers overnight that will lead into a stormy day on Thursday. Even after lingering nocturnal showers dissipate on Thursday morning, thunderstorms will start to develop much earlier in the day than normal, and will continue to pop up and strengthen throughout the midday and afternoon. Therefore, the chance of rain in any given area will be about 75%. On the bright side, this will allow temperatures to dip a few degrees into the low 90s! Drier weather is expected over the weekend..

El tiempo, actualmente.

Un aumento en la humedad y la presencia de una vaguada en los niveles superiores de la atmósfera apoyarán más aguaceros dispersos durante la noche del miércoles que serán el prefacio de un día tormentoso el jueves. Incluso después de que las lluvias nocturnas se disipen el jueves por la mañana, las tormentas eléctricas comenzarán a desarrollarse mucho antes de lo normal y continuarán formando y fortaleciéndose durante el mediodía y la tarde. Por lo tanto, la probabilidad de lluvia en cualquier punto dado será de alrededor del 75%. En el lado positivo, ¡esto permitirá que las temperaturas bajen unos pocos grados y permanezcan el rango bajo de los 90! Se espera tiempo más despejado durante el fin de 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.

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.

President Biden plans to deliver a speech on climate Thursday. With record-breaking heat waves and a cascade of escalating impacts looming from new scientific evidence, there’s a growing push from activists, scientists, and politicians calling on him to declare a climate emergency.

Jamie Henn, one of the co-founders of the group 350.org, made the case with a thread on why a Climate Emergency Declaration matters so much. Just like during the Covid emergency, a climate emergency could compel and pay industry to devote their massive production resource toward the public good. Instead of vaccines, they’d be making heat pumps, wind turbines, and solar panels. An emergency declaration could also put a hard cap on fossil fuel use and force Exxon, Chevron, and other US-based oil companies to cap their leaking methane and retool their infrastructure towards green energy for real, with no greenwashing. In recent days, the LA Times Editorial Board also joined the bandwagon, calling for President Biden to regulate the fossil fuel industry out of existence as soon as possible.

The Center for Biological Diversity has been one of the organizations spearheading the effort since Biden took office, outlining the dozens of special executive powers that could be put to work fighting the climate crisis should Biden flip the switch to emergency mode.

I was super inspired by the great Rebecca Solnit’s latest essay — that when depressing climate news hits we feel tempted toward nihilism and defeat. But this is the system talking — the system that profits and benefits from the status quo — and it takes actual energy to see the proof that a better world is possible. Right now, we need Joe Biden to be a leader to show us that proof, and to inspire us to use the news of climate disaster as fuel for remaking our world.

Now is the time for Biden to declare a climate emergency. The choice isn’t between hope or doom, the choice is between survival and not.

—Eric Holthaus