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Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
First extreme heat wave of 2025 headed to Chicago: What to know for the weekend
Beginning Saturday, Chicagoans can expect intense heat compounded by muggy humidity for the next several days. The National Weather Service has declared an extreme heat warning in Cook County from 10 a.m. Saturday through midnight Monday. Daytime temperatures may reach 97 degrees on Saturday, with a peak afternoon heat index of 106, according to the National Weather Service. At night, temperatures will probably 'struggle' to drop below 80 degrees, said Brett Borchardt, a senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service. That makes this first heat wave of the year particularly dangerous. 'So we have a prolonged period of time where we're not able to cool off, and the effects of heat accumulate,' Borchardt said. 'That's when we start to see those heat-related illnesses crop up.' Through Sunday and Monday, daytime temperatures may continue to hit the mid- to high-90s, and the heat index is forecast to reach 100 to 105 degrees. The National Weather Service may extend its heat warning through Tuesday if conditions persist, Borchardt said during a Friday morning news conference at the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications. High humidity is also contributing to this weekend's heat warning. The combination of extreme heat and humidity can have dangerous health consequences such as nausea, confusion and passing out. The heat can also turn deadly, city officials stressed. Mayor Brandon Johnson urged Chicagoans to take the warning seriously, adding that officials have learned grave lessons from the past. 'We are one month away from the 30-year anniversary of the 1995 heat wave, the deadliest heat wave in American history,' Johnson said. 'We lost more than 700 Chicagoans. Most of them were the elderly and poor. … It really challenged the city to recognize the danger of extreme heat.' Over the last three years, the city recorded 485 heat-related deaths and more than 700 heat-related emergency room visits in Chicago, Public Health Commissioner Olusimbo Ige said. People who are already sick and people older than 65 are the most vulnerable, she added. Certain regions of the city may also be more susceptible to extreme heat because of the urban heat island effect — when factors, including building materials and tree canopy cover, cause the environment to trap more heat. Public health data shows the 60620, 60623, 60628 and 60651 ZIP codes historically see more heat-related emergencies than other locations, Ige said. Residents should stay inside with air conditioning if possible, officials said. According to Ige, 89% of the city's population live in air conditioned buildings. Almost 180 city facilities serve as cooling centers during heat waves, including public libraries, Department of Family and Support Services and Park District buildings. There are an additional 110 spray features at city parks. However, most cooling centers have limited hours that don't extend throughout the evening. According to city data, 33 cooling centers aren't open during the weekend and 26 are not open Sundays. Only 3% of Chicagoans went to a cooling center in 2024, Ige said. Other ways to stay safe during the heat wave include drinking lots of water, wearing light clothing, keeping ovens and stoves shut off and cooling off with a cold bath or ice packs, officials said. The city plans to send teams out to do well-being checks on older and homeless people throughout the weekend, said Maura McCauley, acting commissioner of the Department of Family and Support Services. And for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the city is opening all its pools again seven days a week. Outdoor pools open Saturday, and can help residents beat the heat, Park District chief of staff Michael Merchant said.
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Climate
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago weather: Area to see storms before weekend of summer heat
The Chicago area will see several waves of rainstorms Tuesday and Wednesday before a weekend of summer heat, according to the National Weather Service. The rainstorms are expected to hit Tuesday afternoon and will affect northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana. It is not clear yet which specific areas will be hit by the rainstorms, but Chicagoans should not rule out getting hit. 'It's kind of like a feast or famine. If you get a storm, you get a lot of rain,' Brett Borchardt, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said. 'For those who do see thunderstorms, we should pick up an inch or two.' Borchardt also warned others to stay vigilant since this is the time of year where storms can include large hail or torrential rainfall. Wednesday is likely to see the most severe rainfall, while Thursday and Friday should get a break from the storms. Temperatures on Monday and Tuesday could get close to 90 degrees, with Wednesday's temperatures between 80 to 90 degrees. Borchardt also said that weekend temperatures will be in the low- to mid-90s but could feel like 100 degrees due to humidity. 'Next weekend, that's going to be the first real taste of almost like heat wave type heat, really hot and humid conditions,' Borchardt said.
DW
03-06-2025
- Climate
- DW
How Germany can cope with drought – DW – 05/31/2025
This spring was one of the driest on record. The dramatic lack of rainfall has serious consequences for Germany's agricultural sector, ecosystem and beyond. There's an old German saying that "a cool, wet May fills the farmer's barns and barrels." But this year there's no rain in sight. It's far too dry. There was less rain in the period from the beginning of February to mid-April 2025 than at any other time in the past 100 years. March saw almost 70% less precipitation than usual, and as many hours of sunshine as we usually only have in summer. The wildfire risk keeps rising as a result. Fires have already been reported this year in Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia. The level of Europe's most important inland waterway, the Rhine, was so low that cargo ships could only carry 25% of their usual load. Transport costs have noticeably increased, and experts have warned that consumer prices will rise as a result. The German Association of Towns and Cities, which represents the thousands of local authorities, has called on people to conserve drinking water. Exceptionally dry soil The situation is worst in the north and north-east of the country, and in parts of Bavaria. These show up as dark red blotches on the drought monitor at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ). These indicate dryness deep into the soil, but it's the 25 centimeters of topsoil that are exceptionally dry. "The topsoil is especially important for the agricultural sector, and for cereal crops and grasses, which have very shallow roots," explains Professor Dietrich Borchardt of the UFZ. Both the German Weather Service and the Federal Environment Agency confirm that increasing global warming means that this is going to happen more and more often. Amber warning for groundwater Experts explain how alarming this is. When soil is dry, it repels water — just as water will simply run off if you try to water a dried-out pot plant. This means that even if rain does fall, it has difficulty soaking into the ground. The problem is exacerbated if it rains hard. "Heavy rainfall events contribute virtually nothing to recharging the groundwater," Borchardt explains. "In drought, the rain is effectively falling on sealed surfaces, because when the soil is parched the water runs off superficially into streams and rivers." The dryness of the past few months has been particularly disastrous for groundwater. As Borchardt explains, it mainly builds up between November and March, a time when plants are not yet growing and therefore don't need much water. "Groundwater levels at 80% of the measuring sites in Saxony are now conspicuously low," says Borchardt. "It's an amber warning." According to the UFZ, just one day of gentle, steady rain is enough to moisten the ground again, at least temporarily. But several weeks of continuous rain are needed if it is to trickle down to the groundwater. And, as Borchardt warns, it needs to rain soon: "If we get rain in the summer, scarcely a drop of it will go into the groundwater." Plants in drought stress Nature now urgently needs rain. "This is the time when plants want to sprout and blossom, and for that, of course, they need water," says Verena Graichen of the environmental organization BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany). If they don't get it, they suffer drought stress early on, as is already happening with shallow-rooted trees like birches. Graichen says this makes the plants more susceptible to pests and storms, and creates a vicious circle: "When woods or marshland are weakened by drought stress, they can't absorb as much carbon dioxide, which in turn contributes to climate change. If it doesn't rain soon, agriculture in particular will suffer. "What would really put the plants under stress would be a drought in early summer, when fruits are starting to form," warns Meike Mieke of the farmers' association in the state of Brandenburg. "That would mean things really getting bad for farmers. Right now, we're just hoping it'll all work out." But the German Weather Service forecast is not encouraging — it predicts that soil moisture will continue to decrease. Germany's water consumption is officially measured: When more than 20% of the water that naturally regenerates over the course of a year has been used, the country is said to be in water stress. The statistics are encouraging in this regard: In recent decades, water consumption has continuously dropped. Just under 10% of the resource was used in 2022. The problem of low water levels The figures show that the largest quantity of water is used by the energy sector. In 2022, 6.6 billion liters of river water were diverted to cool thermal power stations, according to the Federal Statistical Office. However, this water is returned to the waterways virtually unaltered. Low river levels are a problem for power stations, Borchardt explains. Power generation had to be curbed during the extreme drought in the summer of 2018. Supply chains at risk as Rhine dries up To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Germany's energy transition brings a ray of hope, because more and more thermal power stations are being decommissioned. "The transformation of the energy supply to renewable sources means that by the middle of this century we will hardly have any need for cooling," says Bernd Kirschbaum of the Federal Environment Agency. One of the bonuses of green energy is that solar and wind power plants don't need to be cooled. In second place is the supply of drinking water. A lot of water also goes to the manufacturing sector: Around five billion liters of river and ground water are used by the chemical and metal industries and in the production of paper. Here, too, the majority of water is used for cooling. There will also be an increasing need for water to cool computer server centers in future. Enough rain for the agricultural sector So far, there has been enough rain this year for the agricultural sector. Only a tiny surface area currently requires watering. Vicious circle: When there is less rainfall, more water has to be used to irrigate crops, further depleting the groundwater Image: Patrick Pleul/dpa/picture alliance The problem is that, as climate change advances, this will change. It is predicted that we will need up to four times as much water in order to grow food crops by the end of the century — because less rain will fall, and also because the hotter it gets, the faster water evaporates. "In other words, we can no longer assume that there will be enough water to cover all our needs," says Borchardt. How can we save water? If periods of drought are going to be more and more frequent, who will be able to save water in future, and how? "The most important thing is water retention on land," says Bernd Kirschbaum. One way of retaining water is by allowing rivers, woods and meadows to take up more space. "A river with a meandering course takes up more water when it rains and retreats when it's dry, is much better able to hold the water in the landscape," explains the environmentalist Verena Graichen. In urban areas, unsealing and greening surfaces can help water drain into the ground. Kirschbaum thinks there is also considerable potential for businesses to save water. "Rainwater can be collected on large operating areas and roofs. It can be treated by passing it through specific filters, then reused in technical processes as process water. The same can be done with the wastewater that these companies produce." Graichen also suggests that the agriculture sector should invest in drip irrigation and drought-resistant plants: "Chickpeas and lentils can cope with less water than you need for berries." This article has been translated from German.
DW
02-06-2025
- Climate
- DW
Germany forced to deal with drought – DW – 05/31/2025
This spring was one of the driest on record. The dramatic lack of rainfall has serious consequences for Germany's agricultural sector, ecosystem and beyond. There's an old German saying that "a cool, wet May fills the farmer's barns and barrels." But this year there's no rain in sight. It's far too dry. There was less rain in the period from the beginning of February to mid-April 2025 than at any other time in the past 100 years. March saw almost 70% less precipitation than usual, and as many hours of sunshine as we usually only have in summer. The wildfire risk keeps rising as a result. Fires have already been reported this year in Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia. The level of Europe's most important inland waterway, the Rhine, was so low that cargo ships could only carry 25% of their usual load. Transport costs have noticeably increased, and experts have warned that consumer prices will rise as a result. The German Association of Towns and Cities, which represents the thousands of local authorities, has called on people to conserve drinking water. Exceptionally dry soil The situation is worst in the north and north-east of the country, and in parts of Bavaria. These show up as dark red blotches on the drought monitor at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ). These indicate dryness deep into the soil, but it's the 25 centimeters of topsoil that are exceptionally dry. "The topsoil is especially important for the agricultural sector, and for cereal crops and grasses, which have very shallow roots," explains Professor Dietrich Borchardt of the UFZ. Both the German Weather Service and the Federal Environment Agency confirm that increasing global warming means that this is going to happen more and more often. Amber warning for groundwater Experts explain how alarming this is. When soil is dry, it repels water — just as water will simply run off if you try to water a dried-out pot plant. This means that even if rain does fall, it has difficulty soaking into the ground. The problem is exacerbated if it rains hard. "Heavy rainfall events contribute virtually nothing to recharging the groundwater," Borchardt explains. "In drought, the rain is effectively falling on sealed surfaces, because when the soil is parched the water runs off superficially into streams and rivers." The dryness of the past few months has been particularly disastrous for groundwater. As Borchardt explains, it mainly builds up between November and March, a time when plants are not yet growing and therefore don't need much water. "Groundwater levels at 80% of the measuring sites in Saxony are now conspicuously low," says Borchardt. "It's an amber warning." According to the UFZ, just one day of gentle, steady rain is enough to moisten the ground again, at least temporarily. But several weeks of continuous rain are needed if it is to trickle down to the groundwater. And, as Borchardt warns, it needs to rain soon: "If we get rain in the summer, scarcely a drop of it will go into the groundwater." Plants in drought stress Nature now urgently needs rain. "This is the time when plants want to sprout and blossom, and for that, of course, they need water," says Verena Graichen of the environmental organization BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany). If they don't get it, they suffer drought stress early on, as is already happening with shallow-rooted trees like birches. Graichen says this makes the plants more susceptible to pests and storms, and creates a vicious circle: "When woods or marshland are weakened by drought stress, they can't absorb as much carbon dioxide, which in turn contributes to climate change. If it doesn't rain soon, agriculture in particular will suffer. "What would really put the plants under stress would be a drought in early summer, when fruits are starting to form," warns Meike Mieke of the farmers' association in the state of Brandenburg. "That would mean things really getting bad for farmers. Right now, we're just hoping it'll all work out." But the German Weather Service forecast is not encouraging — it predicts that soil moisture will continue to decrease. Germany's water consumption is officially measured: When more than 20% of the water that naturally regenerates over the course of a year has been used, the country is said to be in water stress. The statistics are encouraging in this regard: In recent decades, water consumption has continuously dropped. Just under 10% of the resource was used in 2022. The problem of low water levels The figures show that the largest quantity of water is used by the energy sector. In 2022, 6.6 billion liters of river water were diverted to cool thermal power stations, according to the Federal Statistical Office. However, this water is returned to the waterways virtually unaltered. Low river levels are a problem for power stations, Borchardt explains. Power generation had to be curbed during the extreme drought in the summer of 2018. Supply chains at risk as Rhine dries up To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Germany's energy transition brings a ray of hope, because more and more thermal power stations are being decommissioned. "The transformation of the energy supply to renewable sources means that by the middle of this century we will hardly have any need for cooling," says Bernd Kirschbaum of the Federal Environment Agency. One of the bonuses of green energy is that solar and wind power plants don't need to be cooled. In second place is the supply of drinking water. A lot of water also goes to the manufacturing sector: Around five billion liters of river and ground water are used by the chemical and metal industries and in the production of paper. Here, too, the majority of water is used for cooling. There will also be an increasing need for water to cool computer server centers in future. Enough rain for the agricultural sector So far, there has been enough rain this year for the agricultural sector. Only a tiny surface area currently requires watering. Vicious circle: When there is less rainfall, more water has to be used to irrigate crops, further depleting the groundwater Image: Patrick Pleul/dpa/picture alliance The problem is that, as climate change advances, this will change. It is predicted that we will need up to four times as much water in order to grow food crops by the end of the century — because less rain will fall, and also because the hotter it gets, the faster water evaporates. "In other words, we can no longer assume that there will be enough water to cover all our needs," says Borchardt. How can we save water? If periods of drought are going to be more and more frequent, who will be able to save water in future, and how? "The most important thing is water retention on land," says Bernd Kirschbaum. One way of retaining water is by allowing rivers, woods and meadows to take up more space. "A river with a meandering course takes up more water when it rains and retreats when it's dry, is much better able to hold the water in the landscape," explains the environmentalist Verena Graichen. In urban areas, unsealing and greening surfaces can help water drain into the ground. Kirschbaum thinks there is also considerable potential for businesses to save water. "Rainwater can be collected on large operating areas and roofs. It can be treated by passing it through specific filters, then reused in technical processes as process water. The same can be done with the wastewater that these companies produce." Graichen also suggests that the agriculture sector should invest in drip irrigation and drought-resistant plants: "Chickpeas and lentils can cope with less water than you need for berries." This article has been translated from German.
DW
31-05-2025
- Climate
- DW
Not enough rain: How can Germany cope with drought? – DW – 05/31/2025
This spring was one of the driest on record in Germany. Agriculture, groundwater, and even retail prices are suffering. Plants and ecosystems are already in drought stress. What can be done? There's an old German saying that "a cool, wet May fills the farmer's barns and barrels." But this year there's no rain in sight. It's far too dry. There was less rain in the period from the beginning of February to mid-April 2025 than at any other time in the past 100 years. March saw almost 70% less precipitation than usual, and as many hours of sunshine as we usually only have in summer. The wildfire risk keeps rising as a result. Fires have already been reported this year in Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia. The level of Europe's most important inland waterway, the Rhine, was so low that cargo ships could only carry 25% of their usual load. Transport costs have noticeably increased, and experts have warned that consumer prices will rise as a result. The German Association of Towns and Cities, which represents the thousands of local authorities, has called on people to conserve drinking water. Exceptionally dry soil The situation is worst in the north and north-east of the country, and in parts of Bavaria. These show up as dark red blotches on the drought monitor at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ). These indicate dryness deep into the soil, but it's the 25 centimeters of topsoil that are exceptionally dry. "The topsoil is especially important for the agricultural sector, and for cereal crops and grasses, which have very shallow roots," explains Professor Dietrich Borchardt of the UFZ. Both the German Weather Service and the Federal Environment Agency confirm that increasing global warming means that this is going to happen more and more often. Amber warning for groundwater Experts explain how alarming this is. When soil is dry, it repels water — just as water will simply run off if you try to water a dried-out pot plant. This means that even if rain does fall, it has difficulty soaking into the ground. The problem is exacerbated if it rains hard. "Heavy rainfall events contribute virtually nothing to recharging the groundwater," Borchardt explains. "In drought, the rain is effectively falling on sealed surfaces, because when the soil is parched the water runs off superficially into streams and rivers." The dryness of the past few months has been particularly disastrous for groundwater. As Borchardt explains, it mainly builds up between November and March, a time when plants are not yet growing and therefore don't need much water. "Groundwater levels at 80% of the measuring sites in Saxony are now conspicuously low," says Borchardt. "It's an amber warning." According to the UFZ, just one day of gentle, steady rain is enough to moisten the ground again, at least temporarily. But several weeks of continuous rain are needed if it is to trickle down to the groundwater. And, as Borchardt warns, it needs to rain soon: "If we get rain in the summer, scarcely a drop of it will go into the groundwater." Plants in drought stress Nature now urgently needs rain. "This is the time when plants want to sprout and blossom, and for that, of course, they need water," says Verena Graichen of the environmental organization BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany). If they don't get it, they suffer drought stress early on, as is already happening with shallow-rooted trees like birches. Graichen says this makes the plants more susceptible to pests and storms, and creates a vicious circle: "When woods or marshland are weakened by drought stress, they can't absorb as much carbon dioxide, which in turn contributes to climate change. If it doesn't rain soon, agriculture in particular will suffer. "What would really put the plants under stress would be a drought in early summer, when fruits are starting to form," warns Meike Mieke of the farmers' association in the state of Brandenburg. "That would mean things really getting bad for farmers. Right now, we're just hoping it'll all work out." But the German Weather Service forecast is not encouraging — it predicts that soil moisture will continue to decrease. Germany's water consumption is officially measured: When more than 20% of the water that naturally regenerates over the course of a year has been used, the country is said to be in water stress. The statistics are encouraging in this regard: In recent decades, water consumption has continuously dropped. Just under 10% of the resource was used in 2022. The problem of low water levels The figures show that the largest quantity of water is used by the energy sector. In 2022, 6.6 billion liters of river water were diverted to cool thermal power stations, according to the Federal Statistical Office. However, this water is returned to the waterways virtually unaltered. Low river levels are a problem for power stations, Borchardt explains. Power generation had to be curbed during the extreme drought in the summer of 2018. Supply chains at risk as Rhine dries up To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Germany's energy transition brings a ray of hope, because more and more thermal power stations are being decommissioned. "The transformation of the energy supply to renewable sources means that by the middle of this century we will hardly have any need for cooling," says Bernd Kirschbaum of the Federal Environment Agency. One of the bonuses of green energy is that solar and wind power plants don't need to be cooled. In second place is the supply of drinking water. A lot of water also goes to the manufacturing sector: Around five billion liters of river and ground water are used by the chemical and metal industries and in the production of paper. Here, too, the majority of water is used for cooling. There will also be an increasing need for water to cool computer server centers in future. Enough rain for the agricultural sector So far, there has been enough rain this year for the agricultural sector. Only a tiny surface area currently requires watering. Vicious circle: When there is less rainfall, more water has to be used to irrigate crops, further depleting the groundwater Image: Patrick Pleul/dpa/picture alliance The problem is that, as climate change advances, this will change. It is predicted that we will need up to four times as much water in order to grow food crops by the end of the century — because less rain will fall, and also because the hotter it gets, the faster water evaporates. "In other words, we can no longer assume that there will be enough water to cover all our needs," says Borchardt. How can we save water? If periods of drought are going to be more and more frequent, who will be able to save water in future, and how? "The most important thing is water retention on land," says Bernd Kirschbaum. One way of retaining water is by allowing rivers, woods and meadows to take up more space. "A river with a meandering course takes up more water when it rains and retreats when it's dry, is much better able to hold the water in the landscape," explains the environmentalist Verena Graichen. In urban areas, unsealing and greening surfaces can help water drain into the ground. Kirschbaum thinks there is also considerable potential for businesses to save water. "Rainwater can be collected on large operating areas and roofs. It can be treated by passing it through specific filters, then reused in technical processes as process water. The same can be done with the wastewater that these companies produce." Graichen also suggests that the agriculture sector should invest in drip irrigation and drought-resistant plants: "Chickpeas and lentils can cope with less water than you need for berries." This article has been translated from German.
