Currently in Miami — September 27, 2023: Rainy season still here

The weather, currently.

South Florida will remain under the influence of deep tropical moisture on Wednesday as a weak frontal boundary remains stalled just to the north. This moisture will support another day of numerous showers and thunderstorms across the entire east coast metro area which will develop inland along the sea-breeze in the morning and early afternoon before drifting eastward later in the day. There is a potential for a few strong thunderstorms that could produce enough rainfall to induce localized flooding once again. Unsettled weather will continue through the remainder of the week and likely into the weekend as moisture from the Caribbean continues to stream northward.

El tiempo, actualmente.

El sur de Florida permanecerá bajo la influencia de altos niveles de humedad tropical el miércoles, ya que un débil frente permanece estancado justo al norte. Esta humedad generará otro día de numerosos aguaceros y tormentas eléctricas para toda el área metropolitana de la costa este que se desarrollarán tierra adentro a lo largo de la brisa marina en la mañana y temprano en la tarde antes de desplazarse hacia el este más tarde en el día. Existe la posibilidad de algunas tormentas fuertes que podrían producir precipitaciones suficientes para inducir inundaciones localizadas una vez más. Este tiempo inestable continuará durante el resto de la semana, incluido el fin de semana, a medida que humedad del Caribe continúe fluyendo hacia el norte.

—John Morales

What you need to know, currently.

With drought affecting broad swaths of the Mississippi River valley, river levels have dropped so low that saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is creeping upriver in the Mississippi itself. At its current rate of progression, the Mississippi will turn too salty for water treatment plants at New Orleans to produce drinking water in just a few weeks.

Since saltwater is more dense than freshwater, the saltwater is actually moving upriver along the riverbed — within the river itself. Federal engineers that maintain the river channel have built a partial dam designed to slow the saltwater’s upstream progression, and increasingly extreme measures will need to be taken once the saltwater reaches New Orleans — like transporting freshwater by barge, and hastily building a water pipeline to the city.

Similar events happened in 1988, 1999, 2012, and again last year — but this one seems especially severe.

As global warming melts ice worldwide, sea level rise will make problems like this worse not just for Louisiana, but all coastal cities worldwide.

— Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

Currently Sponsorships are short messages we co-write with you to plug your org, event, or climate-friendly business with Currently subscribers. It’s a chance to boost your visibility with Currently — one of the world’s largest daily climate newsletters — and support independent climate journalism, all at the same time. Starting at just $105.

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: