Community Corner
Tri-Cities Heat Wave Continues into Friday Evening
Heat index to soar past 100 degrees today and Friday; St. Charles cooling centers are ready as residents are urged to take precautions to ward off heat-related illness.
Written by Ted Schnell
If Thursday's sweltering weather was brutal, brace for even worse conditions Friday as hot, humid conditions, which prompted the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory, continue through Friday evening.
Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The heat index, which was expected to hit 100 degrees Thursday, is forecast to climb as high as 108 degrees Friday.
Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The city of St. Charles used its website to remind residents that its cooling centers are the St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. 6th Ave., and Charlestowne Mall, East Main Street and Kirk Road.
The heat advisory remains in effect until 7 p.m. Friday,with highs expected in the low to mid-90s Thursday and the mid- to upper 90s Friday. Humidity will push the heat index to 100 to 105 degrees today and 102 to 108 degrees Friday.
The Kane County Health Department urged residents to take precautions against heat-related illness, and shared a link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s web page listing symptoms and treatment for heat stroke, heat exhaustion and other heat-related ailments.
The department offered these suggestions for staying cool:
Go to a public air-conditioned, such as libraries malls or other public buildings.
Drink plenty of fluids and replace salts and minerals in your body. Do not take salt tablets unless under medical supervision.
Dress infants and children in cool, loose clothing and shade their heads and faces with hats or an umbrella.
Limit sun exposure during midday hours and in places of potential severe exposure such as beaches.
Provide plenty of fresh water for your pets, and leave the water in a shady area.
The department also advised residents of other precautions, including things to avoid:
Do not direct the flow of portable electric fans toward yourself when room temperature is hotter than 90°f
Never leave infants, children, or pets in a parked car, where temperatures can rapidly climb to fatal levels.
Do not drink alcohol to try to stay cool
Do not eat heavy, hot, or hard-to-digest foods
Do not wear heavy, dark clothing
More information about coping with extreme heat is available at the Kane County Health Department’s Web page on heat.
Let Patch save you time. Have local stories delivered directly to your inbox with our free newsletter. Sign up for Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles. Then like us on the Facebook pages for Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles. Follow us on Twitter at @BataviaPatch, @PatchGeneva and @StCharlsILPatch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
