Chicago prepares for excessive heat expected Wednesday and Thursday

Deanese Williams-Harris, Sarah Macaraeg, Chicago Tribune
Updated ·5 min read
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Chicago officials are preparing for the dangerous heat expected Wednesday and Thursday, reminding residents of the cooling centers around the city and assuring families of Chicago Public School students that all CPS classrooms are equipped with air conditioning.

National Weather Service officials are warning of hot conditions that will settle over Chicagoland for the next two days with a heat index, which measures what the temperature feels like, that could reach 115 degrees.

The excessive heat warning has been issued from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Wednesday for much of northern Illinois, including Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, McHenry, Iroquois, Kane, Kendall, Kankakee, Lake and Will counties. An excessive heat watch is in effect in the same areas from Wednesday evening to Thursday evening, officials said.

“Nearly our entire region will experience at or near historic high temperatures this week, but high heat index values will make for an extremely dangerous situation for many residents,” said Tom Sivak, FEMA Region 5 regional administrator in a statement. “We all need to take precautions. Regularly check yourself and those you care about — especially children, older adults and pets — for the signs and symptoms of heat-related illnesses and be ready to respond to them.”

With a high of 96 expected in Chicago on Wednesday, CPS issued a statement that a heat action plan is in place to ensure students are safe, healthy and comfortable this week.

The district postponed all outdoor athletic events and, during the heat wave, the district will either be canceling practices or moving them indoors, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez wrote in an email to district families Tuesday.

“CPS is working hand-in-hand with all of our city partners including the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) and our labor partners to keep students and staff healthy, safe, and comfortable,” Martinez wrote, suggesting students bring full water bottles to school.

Students will have the opportunity to refill water bottles throughout the day, the statement said. Other measures planned for Wednesday and Thursday include opening windows and doors to keep air circulating; ensuring staff members and students are sufficiently hydrated; and closing shades, turning off overhead lights and limiting recess.

In his email to parents, Martinez wrote all CPS classrooms are equipped with air conditioning, and the CPS facilities team will be working with schools to fix any air conditioning systems that may encounter issues this week.

But Marcie Pedraza, chair of the George Washington Elementary School Local School Council is among parents concerned about adequate cooling at her daughter’s school, where the district has provided portable units in classrooms without operable ACs.

“They always want 100% attendance, the first day, the first week,” Pedraza said, of CPS. “But some parents will be like, ‘If it’s too hot, I’m not sending my kid to school.’ ”

Meanwhile, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications sent out a statement reminding residents and visitors that they could find relief from the heat at one of the city’s 27 cooling centers or at Chicago Public Library locations and Chicago Park District field houses. Splash pads are also located throughout the city, the statement said.

“When the temperatures climb to extreme levels, Chicagoans should monitor themselves and others for the telltale signs of heat-related illness,” the statement said. “Extreme sweating, intense thirst, nausea, fatigue or weakness, and dizziness or confusion can all be indicators of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. It’s also important to check on relatives, neighbors, seniors, and our vulnerable population.”

Weather officials warned that the extreme heat combined with humidity increases the chance for heat-related illness, and officials recommend monitoring the latest forecast and warnings, drinking plenty of fluids and staying in air-conditioned rooms.

Young children and pets should not be left unattended in vehicles as temperatures in vehicles could reach lethal levels within minutes, officials said, and encouraged checking on elderly relatives and neighbors during the expected heat wave.

The Salvation Army announced it is opening its Community Centers as cooling centers this week across Chicago. To find your local Salvation Army Community Center, go to SalArmyChicago.org, and type your ZIP code, the statement said.

The Office of Emergency Management and Communications list Chicago cooling centers at six community service centers:

  • Englewood Center — 1140 W. 79th St.

  • Garfield Center — 10 S. Kedzie Ave. (24 Hours)

  • King Center — 4314 S. Cottage Grove Ave.

  • North Area Center — 845 W. Wilson Ave.

  • South Chicago Center — 8650 S. Commercial Ave.

  • Trina Davila Center — 4312 W. North Ave.

Additional locations will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the following locations:

  • Southeast — 1767 E. 79th St.

  • Southwest — 6117 S. Kedzie Ave.

  • Central West — 2102 W. Ogden Ave.

  • Northeast — 2019 W. Lawrence Ave.

  • Northwest — 3160 N. Milwaukee Ave.

  • Renaissance Court — 78 E. Washington St. (10 a.m. — 5 p.m.)

Satellite Senior Centers

  • Pilsen — 2121 S. Morgan St.

  • West Town — 1615 W. Chicago Ave.

  • North Center — 4040 N. Oakley Ave.

  • Norwood Park — 5801 N. Natoma Ave.

  • Portage Park — 4100 N. Long Ave.

  • Abbott Park — 49 E. 95th St.

  • Chatham Park — 8300 S. Cottage Grove Ave.

  • Roseland — 10426 S. Michigan Ave.

  • Garfield Ridge — 5674-B S. Archer Ave.

  • Kelvyn Park — 2715 N. Cicero Ave.

  • Auburn Gresham — 1040 W. 79th St.

  • Englewood — 653-657 W. 63rd St.

  • Austin — 5071 W. Congress Parkway

  • Edgewater — 5917 N. Broadway Ave.

  • South Chicago — 9233 S. Burley Ave.