Weather
Illinois was one of 24 states offering assistance as 101 people remain missing and at least 132 people died, according to officials. PAWS Chicago is receiving 22 dogs from central Texas that are expected to arrive in the city Monday night.
The Chicago area recorded ozone levels of 156 late Monday afternoon. Levels above 100 are considered unhealthy. Residents with respiratory issues, children and the elderly are advised to stay indoors and limit exposure to air outside until Tuesday evening.
As elderly Americans begin to lose SNAP and Medicaid under President Trump’s new tax and spending law, providers brace for more senior citizens looking for enough to eat.
The flood watch is in effect until 7 a.m. Friday for Cook County, the collar counties and the majority of northern Illinois, according to the National Weather Service.
“We literally carried some folks out on our backs,” Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said. The heaviest rain pummeled a five-block radius near the United Center.
Storms Tuesday afternoon and evening brought strong downpours and heavy winds to parts of the area, but moved out later in the evening. The cool-down will continue, with Wednesday’s high hitting 84 with partly cloudy skies and a low of 67.
More than 100 people have been confirmed dead in severe flooding in Central Texas as emergency workers continued to look for dozens who remained missing.
A high swim risk advisory is in effect amid potentially life-threatening rip currents and high wave activity at Illinois and northwest Indiana beaches.
One patient’s family said temperatures spiked at West Suburban Medical Center during the weekend heat wave. Patients had already been evacuated from Weiss Memorial Hospital after the AC didn’t turn on.
A total of 60 opioid overdoses were reported Friday and Saturday — including more than 37 on Saturday alone — triggering the city’s spike alert system, city health officials say. When overdose spikes occur, city teams fan out to affected areas with naloxone and assistance.
Beaches were filled Monday as daytime temps reached 95, just shy of a record for the date. Some relief is in sight late Monday into Tuesday, when showers are forecast to move into the area. But the heat will stick through the end of the week.
The Chicago Fire Department responded to about 90 calls between the extreme heat and people in distress in the water, spokesperson Larry Langford said.
The Chicago area is under an extreme-heat warning until very late Monday night.
The heat index reached 106 Saturday and an extreme heat warning is in effect until Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Residents are urged to stay indoors in air conditioned spaces. The city has opened multiple cooling centers.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid 90s on Saturday and continue climbing throughout the weekend and into Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures in the city won’t drop below 75 degrees overnight, and some areas could see them stay as high as 80.
The teams will play a doubleheader Thursday.
The storms are expected Wednesday in the late morning and afternoon, especially southeast of Interstate 55 in eastern Illinois and northwest Indiana, according to the National Weather Service.
Scattered showers and storms are forecast to move into the area beginning Wednesday morning and through the afternoon.
It’s been a slow return to seven days, and the Chicago Park District’s pool season will be short this year, ending just before Chicago Public Schools students return Aug. 18.
A severe weather system passes through the Chicago area Sunday, bringing rain, high winds and hail to parts of the suburbs. The storms moved out by 5:30 p.m., but they left power outages and some flight delays at O’Hare and Midway. More storms are possible Monday before clear skies return Tuesday.