With beach season underway, meteorologists are asking Chicagoans to “stay dry when the waves are high” as afternoon wind gusts and cooler Sunday night temperatures result in dangerous swimming conditions along the lakeshore through late Monday.
Despite high mid-afternoon temperatures and sunny skies closing out the weekend, a rapidly approaching cold front could quickly change beach conditions.
“We will see waves build up very quickly behind the front and that’s why we’re concerned about beachgoers because they could be caught off guard,” said Brett Borchardt, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Chicago office.
Five- to eight-foot waves and life-threatening currents that persist through Monday night will create a high swimming risk at southern Lake Michigan beaches from Illinois to Indiana, which are responsible for half of all lake drownings. The weather service also warns people against venturing onto piers, jetties, broken walls and other coastal structures.
According to a beach hazard declarationin effect from 9 p.m. Sunday until 1 a.m. Tuesday, the Chicago Park District asked visitors to be aware of the flag color warning system, which is updated on its website at chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/beaches and each beach throughout the day. A green flag indicates that swimming is permitted, a yellow flag advises caution and a red flag means there is a swimming ban due to unsafe swimming patterns.
Cool and windy conditions will also continue through Monday.
“(It will be) the coolest day of the week and potentially one of the coolest days of the summer, if I do say so myself, with high temperatures along the lakeshore struggling to get out of the low to mid-60s.” , Borchardt said.
“But it will be a short-lived cold snap – if I can call it a cold snap – with temperatures recovering quickly,” he said.
Temperatures will return to seasonal summer patterns Tuesday through the second half of the work week, reaching the upper 80s on Wednesday. But the mild and pleasant weather could be interrupted by chances of thunderstorms and showers later in the week.
“We are approaching a time of year where some of these storms could be strong or severe given the amount of heat and moisture available in the atmosphere,” Borchardt said. “So we are keeping an eye on the Thursday to Friday period for the best odds.”
The meteorologist added that local residents should keep in mind that June and July are typically the months warmer months Of the year.
“The heat can get to us, especially when we are not acclimatized,” he said. “So keep an eye on friends and family.”
Last summer, the city was hit by waves of scorching temperatures. At the end of July, heat indices ranged from 95 to 105 degrees — a measure of relative humidity and air temperature that tells you how it really feels outside.
On August 24, 2023, temperatures at O’Hare International Airport, the city’s official registration site, reached 100 degreesfor the first time since the deadly heat wave of July 1995. Heat indices then reached more than 115 degrees.
adperez@chicagotribune.com
