The forecast in Chicago is heating up with temperatures soaring into the high 90s. Today is expected to be mostly sunny with a high near 92 degrees, and tonight partly cloudy with a low around 75 degrees, as reported by the National Weather Service. Residents looking ahead to Monday will face sunny and hot conditions with highs near 96 degrees and heat index values reaching potentially over 100 degrees.
The NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook has also issued a "Significant Excessive Heat Risk" for Monday and an "Extreme Excessive Heat Risk" for Tuesday. Thunderstorms are forecasted, carrying a "Limited Thunderstorm Risk", especially before 1 a.m. Tuesday night where the level of severe weather could rise to "Level 2 of 5 Severe Thunderstorm Risk". This includes a primary threat of damaging winds. A "Limited Thunderstorm Risk" continues from Wednesday through Friday.
For Tuesday, conditions are expected to turn even hotter with sunny skies and highs creeping near 98 degrees, as detailed by the National Weather Service. The next evening, the chance for showers and thunderstorms reaches about 30 percent before dropping temperatures slightly. As the week progresses, Chicagoans should anticipate fluctuations with chances for showers and thunderstorms interspersed among mostly sunny days and partly cloudy nights.
With dangerously high temperatures on the horizon, individuals throughout the city are advised to take necessary precautions. According to the NWS Hazardous Weather Outlook, "peak afternoon heat indices of 105 to 115 degrees are possible" during the early part of the week. Although spotter activation is not anticipated through tonight, the general motion of storms during the day will be southeast at around 20 mph.
