Chicago weather: Dangerous heat wave settles in this week
Chicago Weather: Dangerous Heat Wave Settles In This Week
Fox Chicago's JD Rudd has the latest forecast.
CHICAGO - Clouds and tapering rain showers helped us out today, believe it or not. This stunted our temperatures a bit, preventing many of us from reaching the upper 80s. Today will be the last day that will happen for a while.
The big story over the next five to seven days will be the dangerous heat and humidity. High temperatures each day this week are expected to climb into the 90s. Dew points will likely be in the 70s. That combination will result in heat index values around 100 to 110 degrees every afternoon. This is dangerous. For those who must spend prolonged periods of time outside, and for those without air conditioning, you need to find a way to keep cool. Also, do not leave pets and kids in a car with this kind of heat. The inside of a vehicle can reach 120 degrees in as little as 20 minutes.
Lows each day this week will only drop to the middle 70s. And as far as rain chances go, they look very slim from Monday through Thursday. Basically, the next four days can be summed up like this: partly cloudy and breezy with high heat and humidity. It's a summer heat wave for sure.
Now, as we get toward the end of the week, there may be a small break in our upper-level pattern. This will result in a shot at rain and thunder. It may not do much to turn down the heat, however. The best chances for storms right now appear to be Friday morning, Saturday morning and then again Sunday night. I suspect this timing will shift as we get closer to the weekend. I know it's a major holiday, one where many people will want to be outdoors. Keep a close eye on the forecast as we fine-tune things. No matter what, be prepared for the hot air. Once again, this is dangerous heat and those who are more prone to heat illness need to be highly cautious.
Additionally, we will likely see alerts for poor air quality over the coming days (it tends to happen with high heat and humidity). Those with breathing issues should take caution and limit time outdoors as well.