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It’s a record: 103 degrees!
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Updated: October 24, 2012 10:09PM
A 103-degree temperature at O’Hare just before 2 p.m. made Thursday the hottest July 5 ever, and brought Chicago to within 2 degrees of its all-time high temeperature.
It marked the second day in a row the cityset or tied its record high, with another record-breaker possible Friday.
The record high for both July 4 and 5 in Chicago was 102 degrees. We matched the record Wednesday when the mercury hit 102 degrees at O’Hare for a brief moment Wednesday afternoon, tying for the hottest Independence Day on record.
And just before 2 p.m. Thursday, the temperature reached 103 at O’Hare, breaking the record for July 5, set in 1911.
And the temperature may go even higher. Thursday is expected to continue to be intensely hot and humid, with highs up to 105 degrees. Peak afternoon heat index readings could reach 108 to 113, the weather service said.
Other 2 p.m. readings included 103 at Wheeling, 102 at Midway and 101 at Waukegan and Northerly Island.
Should the mercury rise to 105, it would also tie the hottest temperature ever recorded in Chicago, set on July 24, 1934, according to the weather service.
An excessive heat warning in effect until 10 p.m. for all Chicago-area counties has been issued by the National Weather Service. The warning means forecasters expect heat index values of 105 degrees for at least three hours on two consecutive days, or any heat index reading of more than 115 degrees.
Friday was expected to be mostly sunny and hazy, with continued hot and humid conditions and high temperatures again expected between 100 to 105 degrees. Peak heat index readings could be 110 to 119 degrees.
It will turn cooler in the afternoon near the lake, though, according to the weather service, and Saturday’s high temperatures will be in the lower 90s and Sunday’s high in the low 80s.
