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- Currently in Austin — September 19, 2023: Hot and humid
Currently in Austin — September 19, 2023: Hot and humid
Plus, Antarctic sea ice is having a weird year.
Eric Holthaus & A Hebert
September 19, 2023
The weather, currently.
Hot and humid, Ozone Action Day
A ridge of high pressure scooting into Central Texas means a return to unseasonably warm temperatures today and the rest of the week. Tuesday will be sunny with a high near 95. South southwest winds keep Austin muggy, with humidity hovering around 50 percent. According to air monitoring reports, Tuesday is an Ozone Action Day, meaning air quality is “unhealthy for some”. If possible, limit driving and idling, and if you have to refuel your vehicle, it’s best to wait til late afternoon or evening. Tuesday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 73 and a south southeast wind 10 to 15 mph.
What you need to know, currently.
Antarctic sea ice continues to grow at a pace far below any previous year on record. As we approach springtime in the Southern Hemisphere and with a Pacific El Niño strengthening, there are worries that melt season may have already begun weeks early.
There is some speculation that Antarctic sea ice extent, which has been at daily record lows for the last 4 months, might already have peaked for this year.
It has been a very weird year, that I'm not sure anyone entirely understands.
— Dr. Robert Rohde (@RARohde)
2:21 PM • Sep 18, 2023
The BBC interviewed Antarctic research scientists, and their words are worth reflecting on.
"It's so far outside anything we've seen, it's almost mind-blowing," Walter Meier, who monitors sea-ice with the National Snow and Ice Data Center, told the BBC.
Since it is already floating, melting sea ice does not on its own raise sea levels. But sea ice forms a buffer encircling Antarctica from warming waters, and the loss of that sea ice would accelerate the loss of land ice in the Antarctic ice sheets, which would raise sea levels — perhaps dangerously so.
This is one further sign that we are in the emergency phase of the climate crisis, and that world leaders need to do uncomfortable things to restore a climate balance and pave the way for a just future for everyone.
What you can do, currently.
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