CHICAGO (WLS) — Severe weather is possible in the Chicago area Sunday. Meanwhile, high temperatures are hitting the mid-90s and are expected to stay that way this week.
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A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for most counties in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana until 8 p.m., the National Weather Service said. The watch includes the following counties: Boone, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Lake (IL), Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Will, Winnebago (IL), Lake (IN) and Porter (IN).
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued for DeKalb, La Salle, Lee and Winnebago counties, but those have expired.
The storms came suddenly out of Iowa, which prompted the watch for our area, ABC7 Meteorologist Greg Dutra said. The main threat with storms is strong winds.
FULL FORECAST | Chicago weather: Hot with pop-up storm chance Sunday; Air Quality Alert in effect
Large crowds could be seen across Chicago Sunday with people trying stay cool in the intense heat and enjoy the sunshine while they could.
The heat has taken over the city with temperatures surpassing 90 degrees.
“It’s great everyone’s out…everyone’s enjoying it,” Chicago resident Shay Mishra said. “A winter here I couldn’t do… so I love the summer.”
Sundays on State made a return to the Loop, with packed crowds checking out local vendors and all sorts of entertainment.
“It’s amazing… a lot of people having fun… a lot of performances everywhere so it’s pretty cool… pretty awesome,” said Jose, who is visiting Chicago from Denmark.
People also rushed to 31st Street Beach for their Father’s Day celebrations, while also finding ways to stay cool.
“Sunscreen hat, sun shirts and stuff like… juice boxes,” resident Kelly Val said.
Humidity was expected to build throughout the day, ABC7 Meteorologist Jaisol Martinez said Sunday morning.
“We just got some hydration because we need to stay hydrated,” said Drew Wade, who is visiting fromMaryland. “Nobody wants to blackout because we’re dehydrated.”
Temperatures also increased throughout the day, marking the start of several days with temperatures in the 90s this week. People at Washington Park felt the change as the heat and humidity settled in.
“We got a lot of ice. There’s a lot of water,” resident Vashun Pinson said. “It’s extremely hot… it wasn’t this hot, like, a couple of hours ago. It just bum-rushed us… so we got water and some drinks to stay chill. We gonna be alright, and we brought this tent to stay out of the sun.”
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