Temps in 90s to continue through Thursday, forecasters warn

CHICAGO - The heat is on in Chicago, according to forecasters who say temperatures will continue to reach the 90s through Thursday.

The heat index Monday is expected to reach 100 degrees in areas away from the lake, according to the National Weather Service.

By 2 p.m. Monday, Chicago recorded 95 degree temps at O’Hare and Midway airports, almost tying record temps of 96 degrees set this year on July 7 and July 26.

Despite the excessive heat, the air this week won’t be “oppressively humid,” the weather service said in its forecast.

Tuesday’s forecast calls for a high of 91 degrees at O’Hare, Chicago’s official weather station. There’s a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms overnight.

Wednesday and Thursday could be as hot as 95 degrees, the weather service said. That’s before showers move through the area Friday, when the high is forecast as 88 degrees.

Temperatures should drop by another 10 degrees over the weekend, with highs expected near 80 degrees on Saturday and 77 on Sunday, the weather service said.

Chicago has no plans implement its extreme heat emergency response since the heat index should stay below 105 degrees, according to Office of Emergency Management and Communications spokeswoman Mary May.

However, the Department of Family Support and Services has opened two of its six cooling centers, open 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily through Friday, May said. They include Garfield Center, 10 S. Kedzie Ave. and King Center, 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.

Officials also advised residents to check on the young and elderly, and to call 311 for assistance.

Last month, Chicago recorded its first heat-related death of the summer. A 95-year-old woman died July 7 on the Northwest Side during 91-degree heat. It was the third death in Cook County this year attributed to hot weather.

Last summer, five heat-related deaths were reported in countywide.