Chicago, IL – A blast of July-like heat and humidity is expected across Chicago and northern Illinois next week, with heat index values climbing above 90 degrees and potentially approaching 100 in some communities.
According to the National Weather Service in Chicago, warming temperatures combined with increasing humidity will create noticeably uncomfortable conditions as September begins. Forecasters say the pattern will feel more like the middle of July than early September.
The heat is expected to affect communities across the Chicago metropolitan area and northern Illinois, including Joliet, Aurora, Elgin, Waukegan, Rockford, DeKalb and Kankakee.
Forecast heat index values Tuesday afternoon reach around 90 in Chicago, 93 in Rockford, 94 in Joliet and 95 in Aurora, Kankakee and Pontiac. Some locations could approach 100 at times during the broader hot and humid pattern.
While conditions may not meet official Heat Advisory criteria everywhere, the NWS said vulnerability to heat-related illness has increased, particularly for people participating in after-school sports and other strenuous outdoor activities.
Forecasters are encouraging residents to practice heat safety as the humidity becomes increasingly noticeable.
The Climate Prediction Center’s Sept. 2-6 outlook also favors above-normal temperatures across Illinois and much of the central and eastern United States, supporting the expectation of prolonged warmth.
The pattern will not necessarily remain completely dry. Waves of showers and thunderstorms could move through the Great Lakes region, favoring nighttime periods, although forecasters expect many locations and hours to remain dry.
Residents should monitor updated forecasts as Labor Day weekend ends and the early-September heat builds.
