Experts warn of heat waves and derechos as Chicago’s summer heats up
Weather experts say extreme heat could continue this summer in Chicago
We've had one heat wave already-- and at least 17 consecutive days of above average temperatures to go along with it. We spoke to some experts who say there's a good chance this trend continues this summer.
CHICAGO - If you think this summer is going to be a hot one, we are definitely on the right track.
We've had one heat wave already and at least 17 consecutive days of above-average temperatures to go with it. Those temps were pushing 90 degrees with heat indices close to 100.
FOX 32 Chief Meteorologist Emily Wahls takes a look just how much more heat Mother Nature has in store for us.
A hot Chicago summer
What they're saying:
Mike Bardou is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service. He and his team monitor the Chicago area.
"So comparing last year to this year, it's looking like it's going to be quite a bit warmer than in that same period," Bardou said.
According to the Climate Prediction Center, the Chicago area has about a 60 percent chance of above-normal temperatures through the summer.
"Obviously, we're very concerned and we want to prevent as much heat-related illness impact as possible," said. Dr. Alex Sloboda, Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness with Chicago's Department of Public Health.
Sloboda and his researchers are not only keeping a watchful eye on the weather but also on how many people wind up in the emergency room because of it.
"It looks like there's about roughly around 114 ER visits throughout the city of Chicago during that period, which is more than we would expect and more than what we saw in heat waves last year," Sloboda said, referring to the first heat wave of the summer to hit the city back in mid-June.
"About 20% of those were admitted to the hospitals, so a bit more severe illness that needed further medical care," he added.
A grim milestone
In Chicago history:
This week marks 30 years since the deadly heat wave from the summer of 1995 that claimed the lives of over 500 people in Chicago alone.
With temperatures reaching as high as 106 degrees, the Cook County medical examiner's office needed extra refrigerated trucks to store all of the deceased.
"A lot progress has been made. We see the numbers and the metrics even since the beginning of the 2000s. Like we've never seen anything like that since then, thankfully," Sloboda said.
"The 1995 heat wave, being as deadly as it was, brought a lot of lessons to learn and a lot of change, honestly," Bardou said.
Following that tragedy, Bardou said the National Weather Service worked closely with the City of Chicago and other partners to instill some of those changes, like developing heat-related safety plans.
"Thresholds were set for issuing what we now call extreme heat warnings, looking at the level of humidity, called the heat index," Bardou said. "The duration of certain values and using that as a baseline for issuing basically warnings, watches and warnings to give people a heads-up that, hey, this is going to be significant, we need to take preparation, we need to take precautions."
A state of readiness
How they're responding:
Bardou said another big change following the 1995 heat wave is more direct communication.
He showed FOX 32 the actual "bat phone" they have in their office that calls Chicago's Office of Emergency Management if you pick it up.
"We think about things that in general change, patient needs, access to information, social media, efforts dedicated to public outreach and encouraging folks to be weather aware, especially when coming to heat and other topics like severe weather. Those are really just ramped up since that time and continue. We operate very differently now as a weather service, too," Bardou said.
Despite all that, the heat is still a big health concern.
"Heat is actually the number one weather-related killer in the United States on a year-to-year basis. And sometimes it kills more folks than a lot of other weather hazards, such as tornadoes and floods and lightning combined," Bardou said.
"The temperatures in Chicago are getting higher. So this is something where the heat exposure itself, the problem, is going to get worse. So we have to continue to work on mitigating those effects. And when we do get these severe heat advisories, we gotta make sure our communities, our people in Chicago are prepared and aware," Sloboda said.
That's why Sloboda said the Public Health Department tries to educate people about the health hazards of heat through social media and other outlets.
It works with other city departments as well to keep people safe during extreme summer heat.
"So providing these cooling centers is a big part. They take place at different DFSS centers, public libraries, park districts, among other city locations, which is a program that the city does. We also have the 311 service that serves a lot of social needs," Sloboda said.
Heat isn't the only concern for the summer months. So is severe weather.
Trent Ford is the Illinois State Climatologist. He said the heat can increase severe weather if it combines with the right elements, like humidity and if conditions are right in the upper atmosphere.
"I would not be surprised if we had a pretty typical, if not more active than usual, July as far as severe weather is concerned as well, because of the storm track kind of moving over the eastern Midwest, as well as the abundance of the heat and humidity that is a fuel for those thunderstorms," Ford said.
Why tornadoes target the Chicago area
The science behind:
The Chicago area saw some pretty severe weather here last summer on July 15.
"Unfortunately, northern Illinois is sort of the hotspot for derecho frequency climatologically in the US and really globally. So it's not rare to have a derecho per year. That being said, not every derecho looks like last year," Ford said.
Of those 48 twisters, 32 touched down in the Chicago area, 11 in Cook County and four in the city limits of Chicago. All in a single day.
"Most are a little bit tamer than that. So that type of high-level event is almost impossible to predict this far out," Ford said.
Ford said what makes northern Illinois a derecho hotspot is simply its location and the timing of the season.
"July and August together are the two hottest months of the year, so it's going to be warm and it's going to be humid because we can see that the way the jet stream is forecasted," Ford said.
"It's active weather season in Chicago. Every season is active weather season in Chicago, and we just need to be weather aware," Ford said.
Protect yourself from the heat
What you can do:
Just as you would for severe weather, the National Weather Service said it's important to have a safety plan in place for the heat or hot weather.
That means making sure you have extra water and food on hand and making sure you have a plan in case you lose power or your air conditioning goes out.
Know where you can go to cool off, stay with family or friends or go to a local cooling center.
The Source: For this story, the Fox 32 Chicago special projects team interviewed the Chicago regional office for the National Weather Service, the Illinois State Climatologist, and a medical director from the Chicago Department of Public Health.