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- Currently in D.C. — September 12, 2023: The rainy weather continues
Currently in D.C. — September 12, 2023: The rainy weather continues
Plus, Kīlauea erupts in Hawai'i. You can watch a livestream.
Eric Holthaus & Myriam Vidal
September 11, 2023
The weather, currently.
A cloudy morning with afternoon showers or thunderstorms.
What’s up D.C.? Today’s partly cloudy morning is perfect to go jogging or breathing some fresh air outside. The weather is still hot with highs of 86°F, but by the afternoon and night, temperatures will drop to 68°F. We’ll also experience more showers or thunderstorms. For the cyclists out there, packing a rain jacket is advised. For those who are planning a trip outside the city, mind your times in case the weather causes some delays. Maybe this could be a good time to catch up on your reading or your favorite show. I know I will!
Quoting Amy Miles: “A rainy day is a special gift to readers.”
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 networks in Florida:
