Community Corner
Heatwave Stifles Chicago Area
Patch checks out how this week's heatwave stacks up to past warm weather trends.
Chicagoland is in the midst of a week-long heatwave that could see heat indices soar above the 100-degree mark, with actual temperature in Oak Forest forecasted to hit 98 degrees tomorrow.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for Oak Forest, with a combination of hot temperatures and high humidity possibly creating a "dangerous situation."
But scorching heat is nothing new for the Chicagoland area in the month of July, according to the National Weather Service. The heat index, or a measure of how hot it actually feels, could possibly reach and or exceed 105 degrees this week, with the highest likelihood on Thursday.
Find out what's happening in Oak Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- Out of 20 years (1990 through 2010) there have been only 31 days when the heat index officially reached 105 degrees at O'Hare International Airport (official recording station for Chicago weather)
- The last time we had a heat index of 105 in Chicago was at 6 p.m. on August 2, 2006.
Here's a look at past years, and how the records hold up to the heatwave currently hovering over the area.
DATE PEAK HEAT INDEX HOURS WITH HEAT INDEX ABOVE 105 DEGREES 08/01/2006 105 4 07/31/2006 108 5 07/17/2006 107 4 07/24/2005 107 5 08/21/2003 105 3 08/01/2003 105 1 07/21/2002 107 7 08/07/2001 105 1 07/23/2001 107 1 07/30/1999 114 12 07/29/1999 113 8 07/22/1999 105 1 07/04/1999 105 1 07/03/1999 105 1 06/27/1998 105 1 07/26/1997 115 6 08/16/1995 105 1 08/14/1995 107 3 08/13/1995 105 2 08/12/1995 111 6 07/15/1995 105 2 07/14/1995 116 11 07/13/1995 118 12 07/06/1994 105 1 07/05/1994 107 2 07/18/1993 109 2 08/09/1992 105 2 07/22/1991 107 2 08/27/1990 105 1 07/04/1990 109 8Find out what's happening in Oak Forestwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
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