The entire Chicago area will see one more day of "widespread, oppressive, dangerous heat and humidity" Thursday as an excessive heat warning continues for all of northeastern Illinois until 8 p.m., the National Weather Service said.
The NBC 5 Storm Team reports the high temperature Thursday is expected to be 100 degrees, with heat index values, or "feels-like temperatures" of between 105 and 117 degrees.
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WATCH HEREAnd according to NBC 5 Meteorologist Alicia Roman, Thursday could heat up faster than Wednesday, hitting the 90s earlier in the morning.
"It's a very warm start to the day," Roman said.
As of 5:15 a.m., the temperature at O'Hare International Airport was 82 degrees, Roman said, with a heat index value of 91 degrees. By 4 p.m., the temperature at O'Hare is expected to hit 100 degrees.
Unless the temperature at O'Hare hits 101 degrees, Thursday won't break any hit records, Roman said. According to officials, the record high temperature for Aug. 24 is 100, set in 1947. Wednesday however, the record high of 97 degrees, also set in 1947, was broken.
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According to officials, Wednesday's high temperature was 98 degrees. But across the area, spiking heat indices make the air feel as hot as 120 degrees in some parts, the NWS said.
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SIGN UP The extreme heat Wednesday led to thousands of residents across Chicago and Wisconsin without power. Throughout the city and suburbs, schools canceled outdoor sports practices and games, or moved to early dismissals.
As of 5:30 a.m. Thursday, ComEd had reported approximately 430 customers without power, and WE Energies in Wisconsin reported that outages were fewer than 50.
According to Roman, showers and storms could move in Thursday night, with a "low-end, marginal risk" of storms turning strong to severe. One forecast model shows storms moving into the northern counties around 7 or 8 p.m., and then traveling towards more southern counties by 10 p.m.
If storms do turn severe, gusty, damaging winds and heavy downpours can be expected, Roman said.
But there's some good news, too: relief is on the way.
"After today, we'll see temperatures tumbling," Roman said. Dewpoints are expected to gradually come down Thursday evening, Roman said. And while Friday may still feel warm and muggy, temperatures are only expected to be in the mid 80s, according to forecast models.
And as Chicago heads into the weekend, the weather is expected to be even more refreshing, with low humidity and highs in the mid 70s both Saturday and Sunday, Roman said.
