Currently in Los Angeles — July 13, 2023: Hot days and warm nights

The weather, currently.

On Thursday, expect more of the same with upper 80s to above 90 in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valleys. Temperatures were already well into the 80s by noon across the southland on Wednesday as this ridge of high pressure has failed to disappoint. Even Santa Monica hit the mid-70s.

Earlier indications of convection have backed off for the weekend, too. So hot days and warm nights will be the regime for the foreseeable future.

— Ade Adeniji

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.

Water temperatures in Florida have gone off the charts, the latest sign that climate change is accelerating to new heights in 2023.

A buoy off of Murray Key near Everglades National Park soared to 96.8°F (36.0°C) on Monday, 10 degrees F higher than the average summer peak, and just shy of the 99.7°F (37.6°C) global ocean temperature record set in Kuwait in 2020.

That warm water is making life miserable on land, too. A running log of heat index values in Miami have reached unprecedented heights in recent weeks due in part to the proximity to the warm water. As of Wednesday, Miami’s heat index has reached at least 100°F (37.8°C) for 32 consecutive days.

Marine scientists have expressed alarm about the consequences of the extremely warm water on Florida’s fragile coral reefs, calling the current heat wave “horrific”.

“I’m most worried that this level of heat will persist — that the corals that are experiencing these warm waters will continue to experience these warm waters for the coming weeks,” Ian Enochs, who leads the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Experimental Reef Lab at the University of Miami, told the Tampa Bay Times.

All this heat also bodes ominously for hurricane season, especially with the news this week that Farmers Insurance will move to cancel homeowners policies for more than 100,000 homes across the state due to the rising risks of hurricane season, sea level rise, and other climate disasters.

Currently’s John Morales, author of our daily Miami newsletter, has a helpful video explaining the context of Florida’s record-setting marine heatwave.

—Eric Holthaus