Forecasters warn: ‘excessive heat’ Thursday and Friday in Chicago

SHARE Forecasters warn: ‘excessive heat’ Thursday and Friday in Chicago
heat_072116_01.jpg

Southsider Payshance Williams, 6, dances near the fountain in Daley Plaza Wednesday. Her Great-Aunt Denise White brought her there to cool off. | Rich Hein/Sun-Times

Forecasters are warning Chicago area residents that the combination of hot temperatures and high humidity could create a dangerous situation and lead to heat illnesses between Thursday and Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued an “excessive heat warning” in effect beginning at noon Thursday and will continue until 7 p.m. Friday. With temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90s and dew points approaching the upper 70s, the maximum heat index value could reach 115 degrees.

“Temperatures this high could lead to heat-related illnesses with prolonged exposure,” the weather service warned. “The elderly, small children and pets are especially susceptible.”

The weather phenomenon is what meteorologists called a “heat dome,” Charles Mott of the National Weather Service in Romeoville said. It will keep temperatures hotter over a longer period of time. It could also produce more severe storms on Friday night and on Saturday.

The record for Thursday was 103 degrees set in 1901, Mott said. Friday’s record was 101 degrees set in 1991.

Temperatures will begin to fall on Sunday to return to the mid-80s by midweek, Mott said.

Counties affected include Cook, Will, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Kane, Kankakee, Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle, DeKalb, Iroquois, Ford, Livingston, Winnebago, Boone, Ogle and Lee, forecasters said.

Residents are urged to plan ahead; have a cool place to take shelter; avoid outdoor activity during the afternoon; drink plenty of fluids; and check on relatives and neighbors.

Cook County opened several cooling centers for residents who do not have access to air conditioning:

  • Berwyn Library, 2700 S. Harlem, Berwyn;
  • Berwyn Police Department, 6401 W. 31st, Berwyn;
  • Bloom Township Village Building, 425 S. Halsted, Chicago Heights;
  • Bremen Township Community Cneter, 15350 S. Oak Park, Oak Forest;
  • Bremen Township Administrative Office, 16361 S. Kedzie Pkwy. Markham;
  • Calumet Township Community Center, 12633 Ashland, Calumet Park;
  • Cicero Village Building, 4949 W. Cermak, Cicero;
  • Cicero Police Office, 4901 W. Cermak, Cicero;
  • Cicero Public Safety Building, 5410 W. 34th St., Cicero;
  • Cicero Community Center, 2250 S. 49th Ave., Cicero;
  • Elk Grove Township, 2400 S. Arlington Hts., Arlingotn Heights;
  • Hanover Township, 240 S. Illinois Rt. 59, Bartlett;
  • Leyden Township, 2620 N. Mannheim, Franklin Park;
  • Lyons Township, 6404 W. Joliet Rd., Countryside;
  • Maine Township, 1700 Ballard Rd., Park Ridge;
  • Niles Township, 5255 Main St., Skokie;
  • Norwood Park, 7833 W. Lawrence, Norridge;
  • Oak Park, 130 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park;
  • Orland Township, 14807 Ravinia Ave., Orland Park;
  • Palatine Township, 721 S. Quentin Rd., Palatine;
  • Palos Township, 10802 S. Roberts Rd., Palos Hills;
  • Proviso Township, 4565 Harrison St., Hillside;
  • Riverside Township, 47 Riverside Rd., Riverside;
  • Stickney Township, 7745 S. Leamington, Burbank;
  • Barrington Public Safety Building, 400 N. Northwest Hwy., Barrington;
  • Barrington Train Station, 201 S. Spring St., Barrington;
  • Wheeling Township, 1616 N. Arlington Heights Rd., Arlington Heights; and
  • Worth Township, 11601 S. Pulaski Rd., Alsip.

Residents are advised to contact the cooling center first to make sure it is open.

The Latest
Women make up just 10% of those in careers such as green infrastructure and clean and renewable energy, a leader from Openlands writes. Apprenticeships and other training opportunities are some of the ways to get more women into this growing job sector.
Chatterbox doesn’t seem aware that it’s courteous to ask questions, seek others’ opinions.
The way inflation is measured masks certain costs that add to the prices that consumers pay every day. Not surprisingly, higher costs mean lower consumer confidence, no matter what Americans are told about an improving economy.
Another federal judge in Chicago who also has dismissed gun cases based on the same Supreme Court ruling says the high court’s decision in what’s known as the Bruen case will “inevitably lead to more gun violence, more dead citizens and more devastated communities.”
With Easter around the corner, chocolate makers and food businesses are feeling the impact of soaring global cocoa prices and it’s also hitting consumers.