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  • Currently in Seattle — September 14, 2023: Kite-flying weather

Currently in Seattle — September 14, 2023: Kite-flying weather

Plus, Earth now on track to breach 1.5°C this year.

The weather, currently.

Sunshne icon

Sun and mid-70s

Thursday will be clear and sunny in Seattle and at the pass. The high should reach 74, with enough of a breeze to keep kites flying at Gasworks and Jefferson Park.

If your life has this kind of flex, the next few days are prime to work in an early morning trail run or surprise the kids with an after-school picnic. Urban and mountain hiking are glorious right now, and the new moon means stars are shining especially bright for camping.

Light rains are likely to return early next week, y’all, so charge up your solar banks to keep you for the darker months ahead.

What you need to know, currently.

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.

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.

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