- Currently Portland
- Posts
- Currently in Portland — October 27th, 2023: Sunny but frosty
Currently in Portland — October 27th, 2023: Sunny but frosty
Plus, a scary new prognosis for ice in Antarctica.
Stella Harris & Eric Holthaus
October 26, 2023
The weather, currently.
Friday and the weekend will be sunny but frosty.
Well, here’s the trade-off. We’re getting a few dry, sunny days—but it’ll also be cold and frosty. In fact, both frost and freeze warnings are in effect through Saturday morning. High temps for the next three days will be in the low 50s, and overnight temps will be flirting with the low 30s—though perhaps not below freezing in all areas. Still, it’ll be cold enough to get significant frost on the ground so be sure to use extra caution if you’re on the roads.
Halloween Weather Watch: Whelp, it’s going to be cold—but that’s manageable. On Saturday, I’ll be one of the performers in the Tour of Untimely Departures at Lone Fir Cemetary, and I’m planning to wear a thermal undershirt hidden beneath my Victorian costume. And I suspect my wig will provide the warming effect of a cozy hat. If your Halloween plans are outdoors like mine, it’s time to consider what cozy layers you can add for safety and comfort.
If trick-or-treating is on your Tuesday agenda, good news: it’s still looking mostly dry. But Tuesday is too far out to know for sure, so keep a plan-b in mind!
What you need to know, currently.
Ocean warming will triple for the rest of this century near the vulnerable West Antarctica ice sheet, according to a new study out this week. Even more worrying, over the next ~20 years, there is no statistical difference between the course global emissions take and the melt rates of key ice shelves which hold back enormous Antarctic glaciers.
We’ve spent the last few years modelling the future of the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica, and I regret to inform you that it’s not good news.
— Dr Kaitlin Naughten (@kaitlinnaughten)
3:12 PM • Oct 23, 2023
Here’s more, from The Guardian:
Accelerated ice melt in west Antarctica is inevitable for the rest of the century no matter how much carbon emissions are cut, research indicates. The implications for sea level rise are “dire”, scientists say, and mean some coastal cities may have to be abandoned.
The ice sheet of west Antarctica would push up the oceans by 5 metres if lost completely. Previous studies have suggested it is doomed to collapse over the course of centuries, but the new study shows that even drastic emissions cuts in the coming decades will not slow the melting.
It’s times like these that I always refer back to the original scientists that conduct these important studies. In this case, I’ll give the final word to Kaitlin Naughten, the scientist for the British Antarctic Survey that led the study’s research: “I would hate for people to read this story and think “we should give up on climate action, we’re all doomed anyway”. We must remember that West Antarctica is just one cause of sea level rise, and sea level rise is just one impact of climate change.”
Basically: It is never, ever too late.
Naughten’s parallel essay on her team’s findings is worth a read for everyone — and a worthy call to courage in a time of bad climate news.
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:
