Hottest August open in nearly 2 decades
Stifling heat and extremely high humidity grip Chicago Tuesday, threatening the hottest open to an August in nearly two decades and a run on 100°—including a second consecutive record-tying (or breaking) high. The heat is so intense that an automobile, air conditioned to 83° and parked outside the National Weather Service office in Sullivan, Wisconsin, warmed to a lethal 119° in just 10 minutes Monday, underscoring the danger of leaving children or pets for even brief periods when the car’s been turned off.
Sunburns occur more quickly in weather this hot, warns dermatologist Dr. Bryan Schultz. And, allergy sufferers suffered through the year’s highest mold count of 57,771 (spores per cubic yard) Monday, the product of elevated humidities which foster mold spore formation.
Monday’s 99° high at Midway and O’Hare was 16° above normal and the hottest July close here in the 61 years since 1945.
-Tom Skilling-WGN-TV Meteorologist
