A dangerous heat wave has been broiling Chicago all weekend with temperatures in the low-to-mid 90s but with humidity that made it feel up to a scorching 105 degrees. It won’t let up until Monday evening.
Here’s the weather forecast from ABC7 Chicago, as of Sunday evening:
Monday morning: mostly sunny. Warm. Temp: 75
Monday: Mostly sunny, hot and humid. Storms by evening High: 94, Low: 66
Tuesday: Scattered thundershowers. High: 75, Low: 63
Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Scattered storms. High: 74, Low: 64
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High: 74, Low: 63
Friday: Scattered thundershowers. High: 75, Low: 67
Saturday: Isolated showers. High: 83, Low: 66
Sunday: partly to mostly cloudy. High: 83, Low: 68
The National Weather Service upgraded the heat watch to an excessive heat warning for Cook County lasting into Monday at 7 p.m.: “The extended duration of heat, combined with nearly full sunshine, and oppressive warmth at night will lead to hazardous conditions, particularly for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions.”
Father’s Day had an afternoon high of 95 degrees in some areas of the city, and meteorologists say it’ll only dial down into the 80s this evening. Monday promises a final hurrah for the heat with a high of 94 in the afternoon that will lead into thunderstorms later in the day around 4 p.m. with lows in the 60s from Monday night into Tuesday.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Cook County Health & Hospitals System urged residents to take preventative steps to ward off heat stroke and exhaustion and to check on elderly neighbors who live alone.
The city operates six main cooling centers with air conditioning for those who don’t have it at home; plus, additional cooling shelters can be found at the city’s 22 police stations, public libraries, 21 senior centers and Park District buildings, according to Cristina Villarreal from the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.
The cooling center at 10 S. Kedzie is available 24 hours each day to connect people to emergency shelters. Residents can also call 311 to locate their nearest cooling center and find what’s open.
So far, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office hasn’t ruled any official heat-related deaths. Meanwhile, representatives at Rush University Medical Center, Stroger Hospital and Northwestern Memorial Hospital said their emergency rooms hadn’t seen an uptick in heat-related ailments.
