first hot week of the year... (Chicago: average, humid, work)

[chirack]

A lot of how bad summer gets depends on conditions. Downtown is usually cooler than the rest of town due to the lake, but if there are no winds stirring it can be just as bad or worse.

That day in 1995 was very unusual. It wasn't just heat. It can get to 100 in Chicago from time to time. Not every year, but defiantly more than a few times in a decade. It was a combination of heat, humidity and absolutely no wind. I mean I have never seen that combination before and hope to never see it again. It was absolutely still and anyone who didn't have a fan, air conditioner, or kept their windows closed fearing crime was in big trouble.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Those areas are way farther from the lake than O'Hare. The paper does not prove your claim that it is hotter at O'Hare than it is in Lincoln Square or downtown for example on a hot day beacuse of the heat effect.

Wow excuse me a whopping 4 -6 miles or so. Do you ever turn on a radio other than Radio Disney and actually listen to the weather forcast? Pretty much everyday you hear, "today becoming cloudy with a chance of rain the afternoon highs ranging from the upper 70s along the lakeshore (which last time I checked is downtown, and basically every area ALONG the lake duh) to the upper 80s inland (which would be O'hare, Wheaton, Lisle, Schaumburg, Orland Park, etc.). Perhaps that's why you hear current temps given stating O'hare, Midway, and the lakefront.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

O'Hare is not a good indicator as that part of the city escapes much of the heat island effect.

See page 83 figure 35 of the report there's a nice easy to understand picture there at the top of the page which spells out Chicago's urban heat island (This would be looking north at the city from Harvey or Oak Lawn). Hmm O'hare seems to fall in Suburban Commercial last time I checked as it's surrounded with suburbs which are heavily COMMERCIAL!

[Chicago60614]

http://www.epa.gov/hiri/resources/pd...eat_island.pdf

There's another report (is that what you were talking about?). It say on page 95 or something that Lisle is about the epicenter of the heat island, and that the city itself if cooler than almost everywhere else in the area.

Downtown being the coolest, then the city neighborhoods, then O'hare, then Midway (based on location), then the western suburbs.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by NYrules

...along the lakeshore (which last time I checked is downtown, and basically every area ALONG the lake duh)...

No wonder why you live in the burbs. Downtown is not every area along the lake. DUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHH.

I bet you get laughed at whenever you are in the city.

"Excuse me, can you tell me how to get downtown?" *What part?* "Sheridan and Devon" *Blank stare* *Chuckle*

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by NYrules

...Hmm O'hare seems to fall in Suburban Commercial last time I checked as it's surrounded with suburbs which are heavily COMMERCIAL!

Last time I looked Park Ridge, Des Plaines, the northwest side of Chicago, Wood Dale, Mount Prospect, are not heavily commercial.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by chirack

...That day in 1995 was very unusual. It wasn't just heat...

It was 5 days in a row close to 100 or higher.

[SJaye]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

The last time was 5 years ago.

It happens on average once every 2.5 years given the 61 dates that the temp has reached 100 in the past 140 years.

It's certainly not uncommon though that if the temp reaches 100 degrees, it might do so on multiple days in a row since they only occur during heatwaves - which last more than 1 day.

I would agree about twice every decade or so do you hit the 100's.

I meant that the type of heat wave would occur about twice every decade. Each heat wave probably averages about 2 days of 100+ readings (30 times in 14 decades). As I recall, July 13th was the hottest day in 1995, but July 12 and July 14 also hit 100.

I should also note that despite the fact that the long-term global temperature trend is upward, (no intention of starting a Global Warming debate) extreme heat has actually become less frequent across the Midwest. This is primarily due to the increased moisture in the atmosphere due to evapo-transpiration effects of corn and irrigation. Increased moisture means a smaller daily temperature cycle; warmer nighttime lows and cooler daytime highs. This is the primary reason New York's annual average high and low are only 14 degrees apart (61.7 and 47.5), while Las Vegas' annual average high and low is over 23 degrees apart (79.9 and 56.3).

With more moisture in the atmosphere, Chicago (and the Midwest as a whole) will continue to see less frequent 100+ days, less frequent crisp cool nights (say, a 50-55 degree morning in the summer), and more days that are just plain muggy.

[smallvillejane]

I appreciate a warm or even a hot day after a long winter, but boy! this summer has been brutally hot! When can we get some cool breezy days?

[andrew61]

I don't know about "brutally hot"... it's been humid, but we haven't come close to breaking any temperature records. This is more like the high end of the range that's considered "normal" for this time of year.

Maybe it feels worse than it really is because last summer was so mild...