How to stay cool amid Chicago heat wave

CHICAGO - Dangerous heat is settling over the Chicago area this week, prompting city officials to urge residents to take precautions.

What we know:

Hot temperatures and high humidity will make it feel like it's more than 100 degrees outside at times.

Officials say the best way to avoid heat-related illness is to drink plenty of water and spend time in air conditioning.

If you don't have air conditioning at home, keep your blinds closed to block the sun, leave your windows slightly open and avoid using your oven or stove because they can make your home even hotter.

The city has six Community Service Center cooling centers that are open for free on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are located in Auburn Gresham, Garfield Park, the King Center, the North Area, South Chicago and the Trina Davila Center.

You can also cool off at senior centers, Chicago Public Library branches and Chicago Park District fieldhouses during normal business hours. Chicago police stations are open 24 hours a day and can also be used as cooling sites.

SEE FULL LIST OF COOLING CENTERS HERE

The backstory:

This round of dangerous heat comes as officials continue to stress lessons learned from the historic 1995 Midwest heat wave.

During that event, southwest suburban Joliet recorded five days of triple-digit temperatures. Combined with exceptionally high humidity, the heat index reached about 120 degrees at times.

More than 700 people died across the region during the heat wave. Many local victims were found in apartments without air conditioning.

How to stay cool

• Drink plenty of water.
• Stay in air conditioning if you can.
• Check on older family members, neighbors and others who may need help.
• Never leave children or pets in a parked car.
• If you're heading to the beach, pay attention to "No Swimming" signs.

What's next:

The extreme heat is expected to continue through the week.

Beyond Wednesday, it will still be hot, but on each day, there will be opportunities for showers and thunderstorms to develop which will take the edge off the heat at least briefly. This will likely continue into the holiday weekend, so those with outdoor plans will need to keep close tabs on the forecast as our timing becomes refined.

Highs going into the weekend will more likely be around 90 or in the low 90s. In the event that thunderstorms do not happen — which is still a possibility, though less likely — highs would remain in the mid 90s.

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