Currently in Boston — June 8, 2023: Unsettled pattern continues.

The weather, currently.

The air quality has been poor due to the Canadian wildfires especially west of Boston. This will continue overnight and there may be another alert during Thursday. As clouds build Thursday afternoon a shower could occur and there might even be the rumble of thunder. Temperatures will be slightly below average trying to reach near 70°. On Friday there's again a chance for a couple of showers or thunderstorms in the afternoon with temperatures in the upper 60s. Saturday looks mostly dry with highs right around 70 except somewhat warmer over inland areas. There may be some more significant rain early next week.

— Dave Epstein

What you need to know, currently.

A brutal heatwave has sent heat index values to 125°F in Puerto Rico this week, part of a wildly amplified weather pattern that’s sending smoke pouring into the eastern United States from Canada.

A heat wave like this is made doubly dangerous by rising humidity fueled by near-record warm ocean temperatures surrounding Puerto Rico. On humid days, the temperature won’t drop as much overnight, leaving less opportunity for people to recover and cool down. At the peak of the heat on Tuesday, about 100,000 customers in Puerto Rico were without power.

To support families in Puerto Rico, consider supporting PRxPR, a mutual aid organization formed after Hurricane Maria by members of the Puerto Rican diaspora. In addition to the heatwave, this year’s hurricane season has just begun, and folks on the island could use your support.

-Eric Holthaus

What you can do, currently.

Welcome to the new-and-improved Currently!

If you’re a big fan of Currently, please share us with a friend! Our brand-new referral program is a way to give our biggest fans direct ownership of our company. We are the first weather service in the world to do this, and we’ll have much more in the coming days on our hopes and dreams for member-ownership, as well as Currently as a whole.

Thank you for taking this exciting journey with us!

—Eric Holthaus