Weather officials have canceled the extreme heat warning for northern and central Cook County, a signal for more temperate weather headed into the holiday weekend after days of sweltering temperatures.
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Thursday morning, the National Weather Service had issued an extreme heat warning — the agency’s third such alert this week — for all of Cook County, initially set to expire at 7 p.m. By midday, however, officials canceled the warning for northern and central Cook, citing more tepid conditions in the afternoon forecast than previously anticipated.
As of early afternoon, temperatures across the Chicago area hung around the mid- to low-80s, according to Ricky Castro, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Romeoville. Initially, forecasts called for heat indices over 100 degrees.
The slight reprieve is the product of morning storms across far northern Illinois and Wisconsin, which drove a near-term cold front and dampened the heat, Castro said.
The extreme heat warning remained in effect for southern Cook County.
In response to the weather service’s heat advisory, Chicago Public Schools canceled all of Thursday’s outdoor activities or moved them inside if possible, according to a news release. These activities included physical education and athletics practices.
The Archdiocese of Chicago, which directly oversees 138 schools, wrote in a statement that it also canceled after-school practices or moved them indoors. Classes within Archdiocese schools were relocated to air-conditioned spaces, according to the statement. Students were also allowed to wear T-shirts and shorts.
Days prior have brought a scorching start to meteorological fall. On Wednesday, the extreme heat from downtown to Chicago’s Far South Side disrupted traffic as bridges buckled under the heat, officials said.
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But a break is on the way, officials say, with temperatures and humidity expected to dwindle for Labor Day weekend.
Through the rest of Thursday, apart from the heat, there was a 30% chance of thunderstorms for the afternoon and evening.
Heat indices Friday will reach the mid- to high-90s, though heat may be mitigated by morning storms, Castro said. Saturday will also bring a chance of morning thunderstorms, but conditions should dry out by the afternoon. The rest of the holiday weekend will be “much more pleasant,” Castro said, with highs in the 70s to 80s.
“Things are looking up,” Castro said.