The eastbound dome of hot air, expected to bake Chicago at over 90° as early as Friday afternoon, scorched the western Plains with record-breaking triple-digit heat Wednesday. Denver, Colorado’s 102° high became the Mile High City’s earliest 100° ever—obliterating the previous record of June 24, 1954, by nearly 10 days. The line-up of blistering temperatures across the region was impressive. In Nebraska, readings of 108° at Imperial, 105° at Sidney, 104° at Alliance and 102° at Chadron were all record breakers, eclipsing the previous June 14 records by as much as 10 degrees. Rapid City, South Dakota topped out at 102°, 25 degrees above normal.
The heat provoked powerhouse 57,000 ft. tall late day thunderstorms across the northern Plains. Storm gusts reached 98 m.p.h. at Bloomfield, Montana while tennis ball size hail shattered car windows in the Miles City area.
WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center staff provide daily coverage of weather in the Chicago area.
