Flooding and extreme heat pose a threat to the Midwest this week, including Chicago, and the impacts will be felt by area residents in a variety of ways.
Heavy rain and strong winds swept through Chicago and its suburbs Tuesday morning, leaving more than 7,000 customers without power and prompting flood warnings across the region.
This comes just days after wind toppled trees and bent structures in Downers Grove and many other communities.
On top of all that, a recent heat wave sent temperatures soaring above 90 degrees for nearly a week straight, and all of these weather events could potentially be linked to climate change, experts say.
“This year we’ve been ahead of average in terms of tornadoes, but we’ve been extremely active in terms of hail and wind,” said Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist. “The likelihood of more significant weather events capable of producing tornadoes will likely increase in the future in the State of Illinois.”
Ford says the peak frequency of severe weather typically occurs between April and June, but studies show an extension into February and March.
This could be caused by a phenomenon called convective available potential energy (CAPE). Climate experts at Climate Central say rising air temperatures and air instability are fueling severe thunderstorms.
“Since at least 1979 in the Chicago area, we’ve seen a 10- to 20-day increase that can fuel these larger storms,” says Shel Winkley, weather and climate engagement specialist at Climate Central. “Spring temperatures are arriving earlier, which eats into the cooler days…we’re also starting to see summer heat build up more quickly.”
He also points out that a current heat dome is pushing storm systems toward Chicago and its suburbs.
Relentless rain overnight and into the morning prompted the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District to issue an overflow action alert, advising residents to use less water in order to avoid the sewer overflow.
“That means taking shorter showers, not washing clothes, and running the dishwasher.” said Commissioner Kari Steele. “It can definitely make the difference between water ending up in unwanted places like your basement or not.”
So far this year, the MWRD has issued four overflow alerts. During the year 2023, they issued nine.
NBC Chicago
