Summer will make a dramatic entrance this weekend, with extreme heat and high humidity expected across northeastern Illinois and much of the Midwest.
High temperatures Friday in the Chicago area will be in the mid 80s, with muggy conditions, NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said. By Saturday — the first full day of summer — and Sunday, high temperatures will be in the mid-to-upper 90s, with humidity making things feel even hotter.
“It will be feeling over 100 degrees for 3 straight days,” Jeanes said, with the heat and humidity to last Saturday, Sunday and Monday. “Make sure you drink lots of water.”
The heat and humidity Saturday will be accompanied by strong winds, with gusts as high as 35 miles-per-hour Jeanes said.
While Friday didn’t start out as hot as the temperatures to come, rain and thunderstorms could move into northern Illinois between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., with lingering, isolated showers still possible later in the afternoon.
Friday is also the summer solstice, with summer officially beginning at 9:42 p.m.
“It’s the longest day of the year,” Jeanes said, with 15 hours and 14 minutes of sunlight.
Extreme heat warning issued
Beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, an extreme heat warning for Cook County will go into effect. The warning, also issued for Kenosha County in Wisconsin, will last through Monday.
“Dangerously hot and humid conditions with high temperatures each day, well into the 90s and peak afternoon heat index values of 100 to 105 degrees expected,” the National Weather Service said.
At 9:30 a.m. Friday, the Chicago of Emergency Management and Communications will hold a press conference with ComEd, the Chicago Fire Department and the Chicago Department of Public Health to inform residents of the potential health-related impacts.
“Heat related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat and high humidity events,” the OEMC said. “The magnitude of the anticipated heat, combined with oppressive warmth at night will lead to hazardous conditions particularly for the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions. Heat indices will likely remain in the 90s late into the evening hours.”
According to Jeanes, an extreme heat warning was issued because there are three straight says of heat indices between 100 and 105 degrees.
“An extreme heat watch comes first, which means extreme heat is possible,” Jeanes said. “From there, the NWS determines if there will be a heat warning or a heat advisory.”
In northern Indiana, an extreme heat watch will be in effect through Tuesday. In all other parts of northern Illinois, a heat advisory will be in effect, the NWS said.
“Heat impacts will be worsened by consecutive days of hot and humid conditions, with overnight lows in the mid-70s providing little relief,” the NWS warned.
High humidity makes it hard to cool down
Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air, and the heat index is what the temperature feels like when the humidity outside is factored in, according to the weather service.
When humans sweat, it cools the body down because it absorbs and removes heat as it evaporates off the skin. The air is saturated with water on humid days, which makes it harder for sweat to evaporate. This means without air conditioning and proper hydration, our bodies can’t recover long enough to regulate our body temperatures, which adds to the risk of heat-related illnesses.
“Muscle cramping, fatigue, lower blood pressure, signs of dehydration, your heart rate is a little bit faster,” Dr. Corey Goldstein, an emergency medicine doctor at Rush Hospital said, of heat illness signs to watch for. “Most people are going to acclimate by drinking water and getting out of the heat, but if a person cannot then it’s a recipe for really significant problems.”
Minimizing direct sun exposure, wearing loose and light-colored clothing, staying hydrated and spending time in air-conditioned spaces are ways to cool down during extreme heat, according to the NWS.
Goldstein added that not hydrating properly, not not having enough electrolytes could lead to head stroke.
“People who are healthy, younger and in good shape can tolerate this a lot better than other people,” he said.
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