Currently in Portland — June 8, 2023

The weather, currently.

After breaking a sweat earlier this week, it's a relief to see the weather cooling back down—if only a little bit. Thursday we'll get some more clouds in the sky, and the temp will drop to a somewhat more reasonable level in the low 80s. And it looks like we'll be sitting in the high 70s/low 80s for a while, so I hope that's a preferred temp for you! With a bit of shade and a breeze, it does make for ideal outdoor weather—at least when the air quality cooperates. Hopefully, that same offshore air that's cooling us down a little will help clear the air, too. Time will tell.

— Stella Harris

What you need to know, currently.

A brutal heatwave has sent heat index values to 125°F in Puerto Rico this week, part of a wildly amplified weather pattern that’s sending smoke pouring into the eastern United States from Canada.

A heat wave like this is made doubly dangerous by rising humidity fueled by near-record warm ocean temperatures surrounding Puerto Rico. On humid days, the temperature won’t drop as much overnight, leaving less opportunity for people to recover and cool down. At the peak of the heat on Tuesday, about 100,000 customers in Puerto Rico were without power.

To support families in Puerto Rico, consider supporting PRxPR, a mutual aid organization formed after Hurricane Maria by members of the Puerto Rican diaspora. In addition to the heatwave, this year’s hurricane season has just begun, and folks on the island could use your support.

-Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

Welcome to the new-and-improved Currently!

If you’re a big fan of Currently, please share us with a friend! Our brand-new referral program is a way to give our biggest fans direct ownership of our company. We are the first weather service in the world to do this, and we’ll have much more in the coming days on our hopes and dreams for member-ownership, as well as Currently as a whole.

Thank you for taking this exciting journey with us!

—Eric Holthaus