1995 Chicago heat wave
The 1995 Chicago heat wave was a major heat wave. It led to over 600 heat-related deaths in Chicago.[1] Most of the heat wave victims were old or poor people. They did not have enough money for air conditioning and would not open their windows. The people also didn't sleep outside for fear of crime. The heat also affected Milwaukee and St. Louis.[2]
The temperatures were very hot. There were near-record highs as well. The hottest weather was between Wednesday, July 12 and Sunday, July 16. The highest temperature was 106 °F (41 °C) at Chicago's Midway International Airport. The heat index reached 119 °F (48 °C) at the Chicago O'Hare Airport.
Statistics
Chicago's daily low and high temperatures in 1995:
- July 11: 73–90 °F (23–32 °C)
- July 12: 76–98 °F (24–37 °C)
- July 13: 81–106 °F (27–41 °C)
- July 14: 84–102 °F (29–39 °C)
- July 15: 77–99 °F (25–37 °C)
- July 16: 76–94 °F (24–34 °C)
- July 17: 73–89 °F (23–32 °C)
1995 Chicago Heat Wave Media
High pressure up traps heat near the ground, forming a heat wave
Plotted observed temperatures from O'Hare International Airport. Red Lines are daily max temperatures, Blue Lines are daily minimum temperatures, and the Black Line is the July 1960–2016 mean temperature.
2-meter temperature (colors) and 500 hPa geopotential heights (contours) for the United States on 1995-07-13 20:00 UTC in the MERRA-2 reanalysis
References
- ↑ Near-Fatal Heat Stroke . Annals of Internal Medicine. Report.
- ↑ Heat Wave Related Mortality . The Centers for Disease Control. Report.
