Damage reports were being tallied Monday evening after heavy rains and high winds hit the Chicago area, forecasters said.
“A lot of the damage has been tree damage but certainly whenever there are large trees down that means it’s possible that trees came down on houses and cars in the city and in the suburbs,” said Ricky Castro, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Castro said there were reports of 84 mph wind gusts at O’Hare International Airport and a structural collapse in Bellwood.
As the severe weather leaves, extreme heat will follow. Temperatures in the high 90s will hit Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday.
[ Heat wave: How you can help yourself and the people around you when it’s hot outside ]
The hot weather could set local records. Tuesday’s projected high of 98 degrees is just shy of the 99-degree record high for June 14, and Wednesday’s high of 97 degrees edges June 15′s historic mark: 95 degrees set in 1994.
But it will feel even hotter. High levels of humidity will make the heat index — how the heat is felt by the body — warmer, elevating the index to around 105 degrees, National Weather Service hydrologist Scott Lincoln said.
“Ninety degrees in and of itself, although it’s warm, will certainly feel a lot worse,” he said.
The National Weather Service advises Chicagoans to limit outdoor activity, check in on neighbors and family and not leave children or pets in cars.
“It’s dangerous if people don’t use caution,” Lincoln said.
Three Chicago women died in a Rogers Park senior housing facility during a heat wave last month. Residents had begged the property managers for days to turn off the heat and turn on the air conditioning amid record-breaking temperatures, residents and family members said.
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