Currently in San Francisco — June 26, 2023: Cloudy morning with sun and a light breeze coming through in the afternoon

The weather, currently.

On the heels of a rare wolverine sighting, the extremely rare Santa Cruz Kangaroo Rat was captured after an unusual sighting in 2019 (first time in 75 years!) in the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. The species is considered nearly extinct, as its habitat is threatened by wildfire which are increasing in frequency and intensity. Earlier this spring, UC Santra Cruz researchers returned to this area and carefully laid traps to lure the elusive creature. There were able to humanely capture four of them and carefully take measurements before releasing them back into the wild.

—Priya Shukla

What you can do, currently.

Currently is entirely member funded, and right now we need your support!

Our annual summer membership drive is underway — with a goal to double our membership base over the next six weeks which will guarantee this service can continue throughout this year’s hurricane season. We’ll need 739 new members by July 31 to make this goal happen.

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.

A heat wave centered on Mexico has entered its third week, with temperatures expected to continue setting new all-time records in both Mexico and the US.

The heat wave is worrying local officials due to its longevity, with an official in Nuevo Leon state calling it Mexico’s longest heat wave in at least 20 years.

Power grids in both Mexico and Texas have set new all-time records for electricity usage, as air conditioning has had to work 24-hours a day in millions of homes. Severe weather, thunderstorms, and tornadoes have been affecting regions of Colorado, Texas, and the Southeast US in recent days due to the “heat dome” effect.

Heat waves like this one — long-lasting and more intense than in all historical precedent — bear a strong fingerprint of fossil fuel-driven climate change. Like other remarkable heatwaves around the world in recent years, this heat wave would have been nearly impossible without the extra boost from global warming.

Don’t underestimate this heat if you’re experiencing it firsthand. Heat safety tips from Ready.gov are useful, and available in multiple languages.

—Eric Holthaus