Severe thunderstorms, 75 mph winds could hit Chicago before heat wave brings record temps

An incoming heat wave is set to bring Chicago record temperatures and oppressive heat this week. But first, the city and northeastern Illinois could see dangerous winds, severe thunderstorms and large hail Monday.

Monday’s inclement weather could start around lunch time, National Weather Service hydrologist Scott Lincoln said. That’s when the first of two thunderstorm systems may hit northeast Illinois. The second storm is expected to pass through in the late afternoon, though Lincoln said it’s unclear where in the region the thunderstorms will strike.

“We may have to wait until they start to form to get a better handle on it,” he said. “If they move into our neck of the woods, we certainly would have the atmospheric support for strong, severe thunderstorms.”

The late afternoon thunderstorm has the potential to bring damaging winds of over 75 miles per hour and hail large enough to dent cars, Lincoln said.

“There’s also the potential for a brief tornado,” he added. Lincoln encouraged people in northeastern Illinois to pay attention to the weather throughout the day and have multiple ways to receive safety alerts as meteorologists learn more.

As the severe weather leaves, extreme heat will follow. Temperatures in the high 90s will hit Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.

[ Heat wave: How you can help yourself and the people around you when it’s hot outside ]

The hot weather could set local records. Tuesday’s projected high of 98 degrees is just shy of the 99-degree record high for June 14, and Wednesday’s high of 97 degrees edges June 15′s historic high mark: 95 degrees set in 1994.

But it will feel even hotter. High levels of humidity will make the heat index — how the heat is felt by the body — warmer, elevating the index to around 105 degrees, Lincoln said.

“Ninety degrees in and of itself, although it’s warm, will certainly feel a lot worse,” he said.

The National Weather Service advises Chicagoans to limit outdoor activity, not leave children or pets in cars and check in on neighbors and family.

“It’s dangerous if people don’t use caution,” Lincoln said.

[ ‘I was scared to go to sleep’: Residents, family members describe oven-like conditions in Rogers Park building where 3 women died ]

Three Chicago women died in a Rogers Park senior housing facility during a heat wave this May. Residents had begged the property managers for days to turn off the heat and turn on the air conditioning amid record-breaking temperatures, residents and family members said.

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