Chicago weather: Temp reaches 100 at O’Hare and ties daily high for Aug. 24, weather officials say

The temperature reached 100 degrees at O’Hare International Airport shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday, a temperature Chicago had not seen in more than a decade, capping two days of excessive heat across Chicagoland.

The last time the airport experienced a temperature of 100 or higher was more than a decade ago, on July 6, 2012. The temperature tied the daily record high in Chicago for Aug. 24, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Zachary Yack.

The heat caused some schools to close, the cancellation of outdoor sports, recess and activities and kept many people inside apart from a few brave tourists visiting Grant Park.

Eugenio Dan, 59, was visiting Chicago with his family from Singapore. Walking through Grant Park midafternoon Thursday, the trio donned hats, shorts and an umbrella to escape the heat.

He called the city “beautiful” and said they’ve enjoyed their trips to the park and Navy Pier, but it’s a bit hotter than he’s used to in Singapore. Lots of water and air conditioning breaks are a necessity, he said.

”It’s very hot today,” Dan said. “I can feel it.”

Near the lakefront downtown, Ed and Noel Altman, a husband and wife visiting from Kauai, wore long sleeve sun protective jackets and hats. The couple said they’re used to lots of humidity from living in Hawaii for more than 20 years.

Their advice to Chicagoans is to drink lots of cold drinks.

”We’re capable, we’ve experienced it before,” Noel Altman said.

Thursday was the second day in a row the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for Chicago. The temperature set a daily record high for Aug. 23 when it maxed out at 98 degrees Wednesday afternoon at O’Hare.

Yack said a heat index topping 110 degrees was “imminent” for Thursday and would last for “an extended period of time.” The heat index measures relative humidity and air temperature, representing what it actually feels like outside.

Yack said high humidity — measured using dew point temperatures — contributed to the sweltering heat. He said the weather service was forecasting dew point temperatures to hover around the upper 70s to lower 80s at O’Hare during the day.

Many Chicagoans also experienced high temperatures throughout Wednesday night, which Yack also attributed to the humidity. He explained that high actual temperatures can’t cool any lower than dew point temperatures.

Urban areas also can experience higher temperatures than outlying areas because buildings, roads and other infrastructure hold heat more than natural landscapes, called the heat island effect.

On Thursday afternoon, a group of nonprofit organizations from across the city held an online news conference to call on Mayor Brandon Johnson to open up more of the city’s cooling centers during the overnight hours during the excessive heat. Only one of the city’s 27 cooling centers is open 24 hours a day, at Garfield Center, 10 S. Kedzie Ave.

Dr. Howard Ehrman, a former assistant commissioner for the city’s department of public health, disagreed with the city’s decision to close cooling centers overnight, saying those policies started under the former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration and hurt seniors and people of color during the 1995 heat wave.

He said there have been reports of people being kicked out of cooling centers if they fall asleep, which he said was a natural reaction after being overheated.

Relief from the heat, “is not a gift or privilege from the government,” said Neal Resnikoff, from the Chicago Anti-War Coalition,

But relief from Mother Nature was at least on the way. Yack said a cold front from Wisconsin will bring cooler temperatures and lower humidity to the city Thursday night. The forecast included a 30% chance of thunderstorms at night when temperatures are expected to drop to the low 70s, officials said.

Weather officials expect Friday’s high to drop to the mid 80s.

“South of I-80 we could still see some spots getting into the 90s there, and we have some heat indices in the upper 90s to around 100,” Yack said. “But it looks like most of the Chicago metro area should be sitting at the mid- to upper 80s with more comfortable humidity levels, especially more so as we get into the weekend.

A band of heat hung heavily over portions of the U.S. the past two days, with about 150 million people warned to stay inside, keep hydrated and stay out of the direct sun. Officials stressed the importance of checking on neighbors, especially the elderly, and monitoring the young for heat-related illnesses.

On Wednesday night, air-conditioning units stopped working properly at the Gage Park field house where nearly 300 migrants are staying. Temperatures in the field house reached the high 80s at 11 p.m., said Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th.

Lopez said his office contacted the city’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, which sent cooling buses to the field house to provide relief for the asylum-seekers.

Lopez said there are no children in the respite center and the few residents with medical needs were transported elsewhere.

“We are working with DFSS to provide options for migrants at nearby cooling stations in Englewood & Chicago Lawn,” Lopez said in a statement.

“As all Chicagoans know, during this excess heat wave not experienced since 1995, air-conditioning units have been running nonstop for days. This is the worst time for units to breakdown, regardless if it is at home, work or the migrant shelter,” he said.

Lopez said that the Chicago Park District crews worked hard to repair the units and bring them back online.