"Dangerous" heat and humidity levels were expected Monday in the Chicago area, with high temperatures in the 90s and heat indices reaching as high as 110 degrees for some parts.
At 8 a.m. Monday, a heat advisory went into effect for DeKalb, LaSalle, Kendall, Grundy, Northern Will and Kankakee counties.
"Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur," an alert from the National Weather Service said. "Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors."
According to Roman, dewpoints Monday were expected to be between 70 and 75 degrees. Those high humidity levels would result in "feels-like" temperatures between 100 and 110 degrees, with areas to the west and southeast of Chicago expected to see the highest heat indices.
"A very tropical airmass in place today," Roman said.
According to the NWS, the advisory was scheduled to expire at 7 p.m. Monday.
Local
In addition to the heat, the Chicago area Monday afternoon and evening was at an "enhanced" risk of severe weather, which ranks as level three of five on the Storm Prediction Center's severe weather scale.
According to Roman, the storms were likely to begin in the far western part of the state around 4 p.m. Around 6 p.m., storms were expected to move into the far western suburbs, with the Chicago area expected to see storms between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
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Later in the evening, storms were expected to move into Northwest Indiana. By around 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., they were expected to dissipate, Roman said.
According to a National Weather Service alert, the greatest threat Monday's storms carry were damaging winds of up to 75 miles per hour. However, large hail and the chance for tornadoes were also possible, the alert said.
Additionally, "torrential" downpours could cause flash flooding, the alert said.
Chicago's Office of Emergency Management and Communications Monday issued an advisory encouraging residents to be prepared to the heat, with multiple cooling centers opening beginning at 9 a.m.
Meanwhile Monday morning, many parts of the Chicago area were still cleaning up from the effects of weekend storms, with thousands of ComEd residents still without power.
Downed trees were also causing some traffic impacts Monday morning, NBC 5 traffic reporter Kye Martin said, with two downed trees blocking lanes of DuSable Lake Shore Drive, and a downed tree that caused delays on the BNSF Metra line.
In Gage Park, NBC 5 photographer George Mycyk captured nearly an entire block with downed trees.
The aftermath of the storm has also left 47 flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport canceled, according to the website flychicago.com.
A full forecast for the Chicago area this week can be found here.
