Currently in San Francisco — September 8, 2023: A sunny weekend ahead

The weather, currently.

Friday kicks off three days of sunny skies over San Francisco, with highs around 70 on Friday and Saturday, and temperatures climbing to the mid-70s Sunday. Overnight lows will hover in the mid- to high 50s.

This time last year, San Francisco was emerging from record-high temperatures. Even if you prefer your local skies a bit foggy and seek shade this weekend, we can all agree to be grateful for a mild start to SF’s late summer.

— 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 2023 hurricane season continues on a hyperactive pace.

On Thursday, Hurricane Lee underwent textbook rapid intensification from a Category 1 to a Category 4 in just 12 hours. It’s expected to become a Category 5 on Friday — and potentially one of the strongest hurricanes ever observed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Tropical Storm Margot also formed on Thursday, way out off the coast of Africa — the season’s 14th storm of the year so far, matching the historical average for an entire season with nearly a week to go until the season’s midpoint.

Since Atlantic records began in 1851, only three other season have had 14 named storms this early in the year — 2005, 2011, 2020. Only 1933, 2004, and 2005 have had 3 or more Cat 4+ hurricanes so early in the year. If you know your hurricanes, you know that those seasons are not the ones you want to be compared against.

It’s likely that Hurricane Lee will stay relatively safely offshore for at least the next 7 days or so, although some models have it coming worryingly close to New England or Atlantic Canada by September 17th or 18th.

— 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: