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- Currently in San Francisco — September 14, 2023: Temperate Thursday
Currently in San Francisco — September 14, 2023: Temperate Thursday
Plus, Earth now on track to breach 1.5°C this year.
Eric Holthaus & Britta Shoot
September 14, 2023
The weather, currently.
A temperate Thursday
How many of you actually plan your days around San Francisco weather? What I mean is: even on nice days, do you know anyone who goes out without a jacket? Because in all the years I’ve lived here, I have met such a unicorn. (I’m also that rare creature who forever has a huge hat on hand.)
Thursday we’ll intermittently need our layers and shade as highs head toward 70 with winds up to 16mph. A natural layer — a blanket of fog — will tuck us in overnight.
— Britta Shoot
What you need to know, currently.
Britta Shoot is our new San Francisco writer, who has written for publications as varied as Bay Nature and the Economist. As we head into this El Niño winter, we’ll also be experimenting with hyperlocal daily weather newsletter across the Bay Area — waitlists open now!
The latest checkup on 2023’s expected annual temperature has come in hot.
According to the August numbers from Berkeley Earth, there’s now a greater than 99% chance that this year ends as the hottest year in recorded history. Even more worryingly, there’s also now a 55% chance that 2023 will be the first year to top the 1.5°C threshold — eclipsing the mark set out by the world as a line in the sand at the 2015 Paris Climate Conference.
Between the strengthening El Niño and the recent record warmth, the global average in 2023 is on pace to become the warmest year ever directly measured.
There is now even a significant chance (~55%) that temperatures in 2023 exceed the 1.5 °C threshold.
berkeleyearth.org/august-2023-te…
— Dr. Robert Rohde (@RARohde)
1:29 PM • Sep 13, 2023
From Berkeley Earth:
The surprisingly strong warming in June, July and August 2023, combined with the likelihood of a strong El Niño event, have increased the forecast for the rest of 2023.
Prior to the start of 2023, the likelihood of a 1.5 °C annual average this year was estimated at <1%. The fact that this forecast has shifted so greatly serves to underscore the extraordinarily progression of the last few months, whose warmth has far exceeded expectations.
Breaching the 1.5°C threshold would further lock in irreversible changes in the Earth’s land, ocean, ice, biosphere and atmosphere and underscores the need to continue ramping up pressure on governments and people in power to rapidly transition our economy to stop using fossil fuels. Read more at Berkeley Earth.
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:
