Currently in San Francisco — July 11, 2023: Sunny, breezy day & a cloudy evening

The weather, currently.

While Monday was still cool (5°F below average, in fact), we can expect to see temperatures soar to 10-15°F above average by the weekend. While we can still expect some of the “Gray Sky July” on Tuesday, the back half of the week should have some more sun as the marine layer moves back towards the coastline.

It feels like 2023 is definitely the year of weather whiplash – first we bounced from between atmospheric rivers, and now we’re ping-ponging between frigid and sweltering summer days. Could this be an example of the erratic weather that climate change will bring?

—Priya Shukla

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.

India’s crucial monsoon rains have had a rollercoaster season so far.

The India-wide rainfall index has now officially shifted to an above-average season — though the season itself has been anything but average. During the onset phase in early June, rains were at least a week late, bringing prolonged heatwaves and droughts across the entire subcontinent. Now, those same rains have shifted into overdrive bringing massive flooding that has swept away cars and homes and bridges.

This “weather whiplash” is a characteristic of climate change, where extra heat in the atmosphere manifests itself in a sped-up hydrologic cycle, paradoxically bringing more intense droughts and more intense floods sometimes to the same place in quick succession.

Monday was the rainiest July day in Delhi in at least 40 years, forcing authorities to close schools. Further north in the Himalayas, more than 700 roads were closed by mudslides and washouts.

—Eric Holthaus