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- Currently in Portland — July 7, 2023: A little break from the heat, especially overnight
Currently in Portland — July 7, 2023: A little break from the heat, especially overnight
Plus, the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season forecast just got worse.
Eric Holthaus
July 06, 2023
The weather, currently.
A little break from the heat, especially overnight
I wouldn't usually see temps in the 80s as a relief, but here we are! The last couple of days were so hot I could see my birdbaths evaporating before my eyes, and I even had to refill the smaller ones a couple of times during the day. So I'm delighted that Friday is topping off at a reasonable—by comparison—85 degrees. Saturday will be a little cooler and Sunday will be a little warmer, but highs will stay in the 80s for a while, with overnight temps dropping back to the 50s, so we can fill our homes with cooler air during the late and early hours.
Even so, the 80s are plenty hot to get into trouble, so keep wearing that sunscreen, staying hydrated, and beware of fire danger!
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.
On Thursday, researchers at Colorado State University released an updated seasonal hurricane forecast for the Atlantic, boosting their outlook to 18 named storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes — all of which are well above long-term averages.
The forecasters cite record-warm ocean temperatures as the main reason for the worse forecast. “Most of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic now has record warm sea surface temperatures,” they write, which they anticipate will offset the effect from El Niño, which typically creates stronger upper-atmospheric winds that can complicate hurricane formation.
The forecasters give this helpful note to remind coastal residents to start making their hurricane season plans now:
The probability of U.S. major hurricane landfall is estimated to be above the long-period average. As is the case with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them.
Climate change has boosted the odds that any given hurricane will reach Category 3 or greater, the most destructive type. Six of the past 7 hurricane seasons have had more hurricanes than the long-term average number of hurricanes per year.
