Excessive heat warning spreads across US; Chicago adds ambulances, anticipating calls for help
Blistering heat blanketed the heart of the country Wednesday, from the central U.S. to the Gulf Coast states, breaking a daily temperature record in Chicago as sweltering temperatures and high humidity were expected to continue into Thursday with a heat index approaching 115 degrees, according to meteorologists.
Wednesday marked the first excessive heat warning for the year in Chicago, said Kevin Birk, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Romeoville. He said the weather service issues a warning when the heat index climbs above 110 degrees in the afternoon, with little relief at night.
The heat index measures relative humidity and air temperature, meaning it better represents how it actually feels outside, Birk said. He noted it’s the high humidity — measured using dew point temperatures — more so than high temperatures driving Wednesday’s oppressive heat. High humidity limits the ability of the body to cool itself, he added.
“Right now the dew point temperature at O’Hare is 80 degrees. And that’s only happened a handful of times in the history of Chicago,” Birk said Wednesday morning. “The highest that we have recorded on record is 83 for the dew point in Chicago, and that was on July 30, 1999.”
By Wednesday afternoon, the temperature at O’Hare International Airport reached 98, setting a new daily record high in Chicago for Aug. 23, said Zachary Yack, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Romeoville.
The last time O’Hare experienced a temperature of 100 or higher was more than a decade ago, on July 6, 2012.
Officials expect temperatures to break daily and monthly records in the next two days. Approximately 130 million people across 22 states, from Minneapolis to New Orleans, were under heat alerts and excessive heat warnings, officials said.
While Birk said all of Chicagoland is at risk, urban areas are more vulnerable because of the heat island effect. Urban areas can experience higher temperatures than outlying areas because buildings, roads and other infrastructure hold heat more than natural landscapes. Metra also warned riders that trains will slow their speeds due to extreme temperatures.
The Chicago Fire Department announced Wednesday morning it was adding ambulances in anticipation of increased 911 calls due to the dangerous heat. Fire officials Wednesday evening couldn’t exactly say how many heat calls they’d received.
Weather officials said heat is the top weather-related cause of death nationwide.
“It will probably be several degrees warmer in the city even tonight than it is in outlying areas,” Birk said. “So because of that, just the prolonged nature of very warm conditions could make it a little bit worse in the city versus the outlying areas.”
Officials said it is “imperative” to take the heat seriously and to avoid extended time outdoors. Officials said the heat index induces could be deadly for those to anyone without effective cooling and hydration. Birk recommends that people limit their outdoor activities and drink lots of water.
Earlier in the week, Chicago Public Schools announced that a heat action plan was in place to ensure students are safe, healthy and comfortable this week. The district postponed all outdoor athletic events and said that the district would either be canceling practices or moving them indoors, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez wrote in an email to district families Tuesday.
At least three public schools, Waters, Clissold and Dawes elementary schools, had temporary air conditioning outages Wednesday. Waters parents said they’d received emails from the principal that the AC had gone out before it was restored 20 minutes later. Outages at Clissold and Dawes were also restored.
“The vast majority of our cooling systems at our more than 500 District-run schools held up today and in those cases when a unit or a central air system did not function as intended, our team worked quickly to respond and address the situation,” CPS said in a statement.
The spokesperson added that all CPS classrooms have air conditioning and that the district currently has 225 air conditioner units in stock to replace air conditioners as needed.
On Wednesday morning, the Chicago Teachers Union gathered outside of George Washington High School on the city’s East Side before classes, where social studies teacher Lauren Bianchi, co-chair of the CTU’s climate justice committee, said the union is working collaboratively with the city and CPS to develop a 10-year facilities master plan.
“Problems in our school buildings have resulted in overheated hallways, lunchrooms and gyms and, beyond that, these conditions have also put a strain on many of the temporary AC units that have been working overtime,” Bianchi said.
CTU said it will be convening school safety committees with members of other unions who represent other CPS staff members, Service Employees International and Unite Here, to request an emergency safety plan with administrators, including what to do when the AC goes out, Bianchi said.
“We’re dealing with legacy issues,” said union President Stacy Davis-Gates. “We have schools that have not been on the list for years for upgrades.”
Around noon Wednesday in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, John Harris was helping to hand out bottles of water to people passing by the corner of West 79th Street and South Racine Avenue. About 25 volunteers from St. Sabina Catholic Church grabbed the hundreds of bottles out of hulking coolers, giving them to pedestrians, postal workers, bus drivers and others to help them stay hydrated.
“We want to touch people, it’s always good to touch people. Once you touch them you’ll find out how they need you,” Harris said. “Everyone needs something, that’s why we’re out here.”
Pam Bosley, 58, works in the neighborhood and stopped to grab some water on a break. She said she’s lived in Chicago all her life and that Wednesday felt like one of the hottest days she’s ever experienced in the city, especially because of the humidity.
She commended the volunteers handing out water. Her brother’s currently in the hospital due to dehydration.
“In our community, it’s needed,” Bosley said. “Some people are going through a lot of trauma or whatever, and they’re not thinking about their bodies and putting water into it, so it’s good that they’re out here and encouraging people to drink water.”
Along North Milwaukee Avenue, the bike lanes were nearly empty midafternoon, a rare sight for more typical summer days. Pedestrians walked on the shady side of the sidewalks.
Tim Jack, 46, had seen email alerts about the day’s extreme heat, but didn’t know Wednesday was expected to be one of Chicago’s hottest days this year. The cyclist broke into a sweat while riding a sticker-covered, black Schwinn through Wicker Park toward downtown.
Although Jack had just traveled to Thailand last month, where the heat index often soared past 100 degrees, Wednesday afternoon proved to be an inescapable scorcher for the cyclist who doesn’t like taking public transit to work.
”Oh yeah, it’s hot,” Jack said. “I’m feeling it.”
Chicago Tribune’s Jake Sheridan and Sarah Macaraeg contributed.
