A wildfire tore through the heart of the Hawaiian island of Maui in total darkness Wednesday, reducing much of a historic town to ash and forcing people to jump into the ocean to flee the flames. At least six people died and dozens were wounded.
Science & Nature
The United States is now at a record 15 different weather disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage this year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced. It’s the most mega-disasters through the first seven months of the year since the agency tracked such things starting in 1980.
July is shaping up to be the warmest month on Earth in recorded history. But that heat isn’t just impacting the atmosphere — it’s having an impact on the ground beneath our feet.
Illinois has seen 107 tornadoes in 2023, according to the National Weather Service. That makes it the state with the most tornadoes this year. While Illinois holds this title, scientists caution the thought of adding the Prairie State to Tornado Alley.
The renovation process, which is slated to begin in the coming weeks, is set to be divided into multiple phases that will extend across the next four years as the aquarium introduces new learning studios and exhibits and renovates its existing gardens and entrance points.
West Siders were hit particularly hard by floods nearly a month ago. More than 8 inches of rain flooded basements and ruined people's belongings.
The cosmos is offering up a double feature in August: a pair of supermoons. Catch the first show Tuesday night, Aug. 2, as the full moon rises in the southeast.
Parts of the Chicago area are under excessive heat warnings and heat advisories Thursday with temperatures expected to top out at 96 degrees along with a heat index into the triple digits, according to the National Weather Service.
Experts now say they expect “complete mortality” of the bleached reefs in just a week, and worry reefs at greater depths could face the same fate if the unprecedented ocean warmth continues to escalate.
It might come as a surprise given our proximity to Lake Michigan, but some of Chicago’s neighbors could soon be facing a water shortage. According to a new report, flooding and scarcity can “wildly alternate in the same place or transpire in proximity to each other.”
“Oppenheimer,” the much-anticipated blockbuster from Batman director Christopher Nolan, hits movie theaters this week. The story has deep connections to Chicago and the Manhattan Project that led to the development of the first atomic bomb.
The change repeals existing language that allowed factories, refineries, power plants and other facilities to exceed their emission limits during shutdowns, startups, and malfunctions.
The long-term forecast looks bleak. The extreme heat could continue into August in some of the hardest-hit areas and even a brief glimmer of cooler hope for some parts of the country headed into the weekend will only mean new areas swelter as a heat dome slides west.
Extensive swaths of the northern United States awoke to unhealthy air quality Monday morning or were experiencing it by midafternoon.
At issue is a policy Illinois has had since the 1970s that allows factories, power plants, and other industries with air pollution emission permits to exceed their emission limits during startups, shutdowns, or malfunctions.
No injuries were reported when Wednesday’s storms ripped roofs from buildings and toppled trees in the Chicago area and points west. One tornado touched down near O’Hare Airport, sending passengers dashing for shelter and disrupting hundreds of flights.
