While last week felt more like fall, excessive heat and dangerously high humidity will blanket the entire Chicago area for the next few days, beginning with Monday.
"Right now, it's feeling like we're in the dead of summer," NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes said.
At 12 p.m. Monday, a heat advisory will go into effect for the entire Chicago area, with Cook County under an excessive heat warning, the National Weather Service said. Tuesday, excessive heat watches will go into effect.
"Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities," the NWS said.
MORE: 4 easy and fast ways to cool your body down in extreme heat
Monday was expected to hit a high of 96-degrees, with "feels-like' temperatures closer to 100-105 degrees, Jeanes said. Tuesday would be even hotter, with a 98-degree high and heat indices up to 110-degrees.
According to the NBC 5 Storm Team, the record high for Monday and Tuesday was 97 degrees, set in 1973.
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Jeanes noted the temperatures are "unusually" hot for this time of year.
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"Be prepared to drink lots of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors," the NWS warned. "Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. This is especially true during warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes."
"This is the hottest air that we've experienced so far this summer," the NWS said in a message posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Monday's weather also comes with an air quality alert for all of Northeastern Illinois, the NWS said, with air quality expected to be at "unhealthy levels for sensitive groups," which ranks as level two of five.
The alert was expected to last "through at least Monday," the NWS said.
Tuesday's forecast comes with a chance for early morning and evening thunderstorms, Jeanes said, with northern Illinois at a "marginal" risk of severe weather, which ranks as level one of five on the storm prediction center's scale. Any scattered storms that do develop could contain lightning strikes, heavy downpours and gusty, damaging winds, the NWS said.
250 Cooling centers across the city of Chicago were expected to be activated Monday and Tuesday, according to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications.
Monday is also the first day of the 2024-25 school year for Chicago Public Schools. Over the weekend, parents were sent a letter this weekend detailing the district’s efforts to keeps students and faculty cool and safe with an excessive heat warning in place.
According to CPS, all outdoor athletic games and matches will be canceled on both Monday and Tuesday due to the heat. All outdoor practices will also be moved indoors or canceled, officials said.
For instruction, all classrooms are equipped with air conditioning units, and facilities teams will work to ensure that any AC units that experience problems are repaired quickly, according to the letter.
Teachers may be asked to draw shades to keep sunlight out, and to keep doors closed in rooms where window air conditioning units are being used.
“Hydration, hydration, hydration. Make sure your kids are carrying a water bottle with them and they take sips throughout the day," said Dr. Juanita Mora, national medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association said, of the best ways to keep students safe.. "Snacks are good and hydrating, send them with a little pack of grapes or oranges cut up as well... Avoid sending sugary drinks like Gatorade, Kool Aid or Capri Suns. They’re full of sugar, and they’re not all that hydrating."
Finally, all nonessential lights, computers and appliances will be turned off when not required for instruction.
Temperatures Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be in the upper 80s, though high humidity and chances for storms will remain, Jeanes said. Going into Labor Day weekend, temperatures will dip back down into the low 80s and mid 70s, Jeanes added.
