Even with the passage of a cold front Monday and the shift to northwest winds that followed, both O’Hare and Midway managed to reach 90° or higher on Tuesday, the fourth consecutive day of 90°+. Once again, low dew points made the heat tolerable, this time due to a fresh change of air mass rather than drought-induced dry air of days past.
Cooler air in the 80s wedged south into Minnesota and Iowa with this cold front, but west of that especially hot air continues to build in the high Plains and Rockies. Las Vegas broke six high temperature records Tuesday, including 117° which tied their all-time high set July 24, 1942.
This heat continues its unstoppable march eastward in upcoming days, reaching Chicago on the weekend. The first relief from these torrid temperatures finally arrives next Tuesday, along with a chance for meaningful rain.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
