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Chicago weather: Heat advisory conditions continue as storms threaten holiday plans
JD Rudd has your weather update!
CHICAGO - Another day of 90-degree heat across the area, and another day of being labeled as the "hottest day of 2026 so far."
The high at O'Hare hit 95 today. By the way, this almost marks the hottest July 1st we have had since 1991 when the high was 97.
Tonight, we'll need to monitor the Illinois-Wisconsin state line as there could be a line of storms that tries to move in after 11 p.m. This would mainly impact McHenry and Lake counties in Illinois. Elsewhere, expect a mostly clear sky and staying warm with lows in the upper 70s. The humidity sticks with us and keeps the feels like values near 90 through much of the night.
Holiday weekend forecast:
Thursday will be yet another day of high heat and humidity with sunshine in the morning and then a partly cloudy sky by the afternoon. There will be a better chance for spotty to scattered thunderstorms in Northern Illinois by the late evening. A stronger storm or two is not out of the question, with damaging wind gusts the prime threat.
Highs Thursday are expected to be near 95 again with heat index values near 105 to 110 degrees.
Moving into the holiday weekend, we continue to see the chance for rain and storms to go up. While it's not going to rain all day, the timing of the thunderstorms may disrupt outdoor activities. Based on the latest data, here's a daily breakdown of the rain:
- Friday - Best chances appear to be in the early to middle afternoon with storms sliding east and out of our area by evening. This would be good news for those with fireworks displays planned after 9 p.m.
- Saturday - There may be some early morning pockets of rain, then a better chance for afternoon to evening storms. Here again, the data suggests action leaves the area before 9 p.m.
- Sunday - The best shot at rain and thunder looks to be in the morning with things drying out by the afternoon.
In terms of temperatures, we will still be hot and humid Friday with highs in the lower 90s expected. By Saturday, it's the upper 80s and not as humid. Sunday brings highs in the middle 80s and a little less humidity.
Peeking into next week, the middle 80s will stick around with morning lows in the upper 60s. There will be a chance for a pop-up shower or storm both Monday and Tuesday.