Chicagoans are encouraged to keep themselves cool as an extreme heat warning began Saturday morning and is in effect through Monday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Saturday’s high reached 95 degrees with a heat index recorded at 106, the NWS said. A breeze may have given people a reprieve from the oppressive heat, with gusts ranging from 30 to 45 mph.
Sunday is forecast to be “essentially a carbon copy,” with a high of 96 degrees and a 105 heat index, or “feels like” temperature which accounts for humidity, weather service meteorologist Lee Carlaw said. Gusts are forecast around 30 mph.
“The air temperatures may actually be just a little bit warmer [Sunday], and then the humidity might come down just a little bit, which will probably net the same heat index value,” Carlaw said. “Still hot and humid Monday, although it does look like the humidity level will come down just a bit.”
Monday could be the last — and hottest — day of the heat wave. The high is expected to reach 97 degrees and 25 mph gusts are possible before showers could move into the area Monday night.
NWS experts and city officials are urging people to stay indoors in air-conditioned rooms when possible and to stay hydrated.
“First and foremost, I want to make sure every Chicagoan understands the danger of this moment and anytime we have extreme heat,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a news conference Friday morning.
Brett Borchardt, a meteorologist with the NWS, warned that “heat impacts are cumulative” and since the heat wave is expected to last several days, people should take extra precautions. Because of that, it’s possible this heat wave could be deadly.
The likeliness of heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity, according to the weather service.
“The magnitude of anticipated heat, combined with oppressive warmth at night will lead to hazardous conditions, particularly for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions,” the weather service’s extreme heat warning states.
Since 2018, the city has seen 35 heat-related deaths, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office archives. Heat emergencies and deaths are on the decline overall. In a study of heat deaths and other heat-related emergencies released this month, city officials said the ZIP codes 60620, 60623, 60628 and 60651 saw the most calls for service during heat advisories in 2023 and in years since.
Some of those areas, including Englewood and other majority-Black neighborhoods, were hardest-hit during a 1995 heat wave that left 739 people dead across the city.
Nearly 11% of the city’s population doesn’t have access to air conditioning. With that being the case, the city’s cooling centers are scheduled to be open through the weekend and beyond.
The following cooling centers will be open Saturday through Tuesday:
- The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services will have six community service locations open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday
- Garfield Center will be open for cooling Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with case management services until 4 p.m.
- Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, City Colleges of Chicago and Chicago Police Department locations will be open for cooling during regular hours of operation.
- The city’s 21 senior centers are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the center at 78 E. Washington St. is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The facilities will be activated as cooling centers Monday and Tuesday.