Chicago woke up to temperatures in the 80s Thursday morning, bracing for day two of excessive heat with temperatures expected to hit the high 90s. But relief is on the way, weather officials said, as they expect Friday’s high to drop to the mid 70s.
About 7:30 a.m., the National Weather Service said conditions at O’Hare International Airport — the city’s official recording site — were a few clouds and 82 degrees. Farther south, conditions were about the same at Midway Airport at 81 degrees.
The silver lining in Thursday’s forecast was a 30% chance of thunderstorms at night when temperatures are expected to drop to the low 70s, officials said.
A band of heat played relentlessly in portions of the U.S., with about 150 million people warned to stay inside, stay 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.
As of 9 a.m. Thursday, ComEd reported 18 outages with about 300 customers with out power.
