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How Does This Weekend's Heat Wave Compare To Deadly 1995 Weather?

By Kelly Bauer | July 21, 2016 12:26pm
 The city will get hit with a heat wave this weekend — and it's not going to be much cooler than it was during the deadly wave of 1995.
The city will get hit with a heat wave this weekend — and it's not going to be much cooler than it was during the deadly wave of 1995.
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CHICAGO — The city will get hit with a heat wave this weekend — and it's not going to be much cooler than it was during the deadly wave of 1995.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch for Thursday and Friday, warning of "dangerously hot and humid" weather. Temperatures are expected to peak at 96 Thursday and Friday, said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Walker, but it'll actually feel as hot as 110 degrees in the city.

Saturday will be a little cooler and will only feel like it's 93 degrees outside.

Kelly Bauer compares the current heat to the deadly 1995 heat wave.

Those temperatures are similar to what Chicago faced in July 1995, Walker said. Back then, more than 700 people died from the heat in less than a week. Here are temperatures from that deadly period:

July 12: 95 degrees

July 13: 104 degrees (the hottest Chicago has ever officially been)

July 14: 100 degrees

July 15: 98 degrees

July 16: 93 degrees

Source: AccuWeather

But that heat wave was unique in that the city didn't cool off much during the night, Walker said: Chicago didn't get any colder than 80 degrees on the 13th and 14th.

Things should be more comfortable now: Chicago is expected to see temperatures drop to 78 degrees Thursday night, 74 degrees Friday night and 75 degrees Saturday night, Walker said. The city will also see rain Thursday night.

“Not quite as oppressive as back in the ’95 heat wave, but still some pretty warm nights,” Walker said.

RELATED: No Air Conditioning? No Sweat — Pro Tips On How To Keep Cool Naturally

The city was largely unprepared for the heat wave of '95, leading to the spike in heat-related deaths, but officials have said they're ready to deal with this bout of weather.

Cooling centers throughout Chicago will be open for people to beat the heat for free, police have said they'll be in "heat emergency mode" and officials said they are monitoring the heat and how many people are affected by it.

Chicagoans should drink a lot of water and Gatorade to stay hydrated and should check on people, particularly the elderly and children, to make sure they're OK, Rich Guidice, managing deputy of operations.

“Stay as cool as you can. Make sure you stay hydrated. And check on your loved ones. Check on your friends and check on your neighbors,” Guidice said. “Don’t take for granted that everybody’s doing OK.”

Metra will also slow down trains to reduce stress on its tracks, meaning trips will take 10 to 15 minutes longer than usual.

Of course, warm weather is nothing new for Chicago, and Walker said it's "typical" for the city to get these kind of heat waves.

And things could be worse. Here's a look at the city's records for the next few days:

• July 21, 1901: 103 degrees  

• July 22, 1991: 101 degrees

• July 23, 1914: 99 degrees

Source: AccuWeather

The hottest the city has ever officially been is 104 degrees, Walker said. It's hit that peak several times, including in 1988 and during the 1995 heat wave.

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