Currently in Boston — August 4, 2023: Back to sunshine for the weekend

The weather, currently.

More humidity will be evident overnight with temperatures staying in the '60s. There could be a couple of showers late at night for wet ground when you get up in the morning. Looking ahead toward the day on Friday you can expect a lot of clouds and some midday or evening showers. Some of these could be accompanied by thunder and heavier downpours. Everything winds down late Friday night and skies return to partly to mostly sunny for Saturday with highs in the lower '80s. It's a beautiful day on Sunday as well with comfortable humidity and afternoon temperatures in the lower and even middle '80s away from the coast.

— Dave Epstein

What you need to know, currently.

Government officials in Iran suddenly declared a nationwide holiday due to ‘unprecedented heat’ this week, an alarming development in this record-breaking warm year.

Shops, government offices, banks, and schools have been closed across Iran since Wednesday, and reports say the nationwide shutdown could be extended further. One report calls it the first-ever nationwide shutdown due to heat in world history. On Tuesday, the heat index at Persian Gulf International Airport in southern Iran reached 149°F (65.0°C).

A new daily record in electricity consumption during last month’s heatwave in Iran have prompted some inside Iran to speculate that the shutdown is more likely due to a shortage of hydropower generating capacity, perhaps due to government mismanagement of water resources.

Power outages were frequent during last year’s nationwide protests, but this year — despite higher temperatures — electricity has been more reliable, meaning that government water managers may have drawn down reservoirs beyond critical levels in an attempt to prevent public outrage under the new president Ebrahim Raisi.

Power consumption has also hit record highs in recent weeks in Egypt, and power outages are occurring in Iraq and Lebanon.

—Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

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