The Summer Heat Wave We've Been Dreading Arrives This Week

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Aug 31, 2015 4:34PM

Summer in Chicago means sweaty commutes, sticky CTA seats and oppressive humidity—but not so much this one, which has seen unseasonable cool temperatures, fog and, dare we say, an occasional wintry nip in the night air.

Well, the summer that hasn't been a summer, at least according to the rare Chicagoans who love those 90-degree days, is finally about to take a turn for the warmer. Weather reports predict a week-long streak of temperatures in the 80s and 90s to ring in September.

Tribune meteorologist Tom Skilling says a "slow-moving, heat-generating upper-level ridge of high pressure"—weather-speak for hot air—has finally reached Chicago and will usher in a week of daily highs in the upper 80s and lower 90s. The averages will be nearly 10 degrees above normal for the late summer, according to Skilling.

Weather reports say the high Tuesday could feel like 94 degrees—a temperature we might have to use our imaginations to remember—and by Thursday the high could be up to 98.

If these reports aren't reason enough to flee to beachier climes come Labor Day Weekend, we don't know what is. Just be sure to avoid spending your holiday weekend baking in interstate traffic.