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- Currently in Austin — September 12, 2023: A refreshing change from extreme heat
Currently in Austin — September 12, 2023: A refreshing change from extreme heat
Plus, Kīlauea erupts in Hawai'i. You can watch a livestream.
Eric Holthaus & A Hebert
September 11, 2023
The weather, currently.
A refreshing change from extreme heat
Austin woke up with a spring in its step and a smile on its face this morning, greeted by temperatures in the low 70s — a most refreshing sensation after a total of 78 triple-digit days (second only to 2011). Tuesday continues the downward trend in temperatures, with a high near 95 and a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Tuesday night offers low around 72. One can almost hear the collective sigh of relief around the city as we see a forecast of highs in the mid to low 90s and a chance of rain for the rest of the week.
What you need to know, currently.
The Kīlauea volcano on the big island of Hawai’i began erupting on Sunday afternoon — its fifth eruption in the past four years.
Kīlauea is one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, so this really isn’t a surprise, but it’s still a literally awesome reminder that we all live on a planet that is continually in motion at all space and time scales.
The Hawaiian islands were formed over the past 50 million years by the same plume of upwelling undersea magma in the middle of the Pacific. The island of Hawai’i is the largest and youngest island of the chain — Kīlauea emerged from under the ocean just 100,000 years ago. In 2018, the volcano’s summit collapsed and released a lava flow up to 500m (1600ft) thick that destroyed hundreds of homes and marked a shift into its current eruptive phase. In contrast, this week’s eruption is extremely minor — but still impressive.
The US Geological Survey has set up a live view of the eruption in Kīlauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater:
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:
