Currently in San Francisco — October 11, 2023: Warm sun and wind on Wednesday

The weather, currently.

The wind is back on Wednesday, with gusting up over 30mph at times. But it’ll also be a day of warm sun with highs near or just over 70. Personally, I like the mix of breeze and brightness, but it’ll be a day for literally holding onto one’s hat. Overnight, the wind will stay strong and lows will dip into the low 50s.

— Britta Shoot

What you need to know, currently.

Lidia is the third-strongest hurricane in history to make landfall on Mexico’s Pacific Coast.

Lidia joins a long list of hurricanes that have rapidly intensified in the hours right before landfall in recent years, going from a Category 1 to a Category 4 before slamming into the coastline near Puerto Vallarta.

Meteorologist Bob Henson explains: “Lidia's top sustained winds increased more than predicted, and in spectacular fashion—from 70 mph to 140 mph in the 24 hours before it made landfall. A growing body of research is finding links between rapid intensification and human-caused climate change.”

Near-shore ocean temperatures are warming, and when hurricanes like Lidia intensify in the few hours before landfall, it reduces the time that authorities and residents have to respond and prepare. It’s another one of those sinister ways that climate change is making extreme weather worse.

— Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

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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: