As the National Weather Service issued dangerous weather alerts for over 110 million Americans over the extended Fourth of July holiday weekend, torrential rains swamped Chicago’s streets and prompted NASCAR officials to postpone a race through the city.
Currently, according to WLS-TV, Chicago’s train service has been suspended, buses have been temporarily redirected, and portions of Interstates 55 and 290 have been closed due to flooding, according to Illinois State Police.
Although rain in the city began tapering down Sunday evening, the NWS stated after the Chicago NASCSR racing resumed that “lingering flood impacts will likely persist” for a number of hours.
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York said in a statement that she is keeping an eye on events in Clinton County, where 12 hours of rain had “caused significant flooding,” and that the NWS has warned of the possibility of “strong thunderstorms and heavy downpours” in the state on Monday afternoon and into the evening.
Zooming out
The Fourth of July holiday travel might be impacted by isolated strong to severe thunderstorms and thunderstorm clusters that could form in the Mid Atlantic Region and parts of the northern Great Plains on Monday night, according to the weather service. The long-lasting, record-breaking heat wave in the South and Southeast of the United States was abating, but intensifying throughout much of the West.
By the numbers:
As dangerously hot weather persisted across parts of the Southeast, Gulf Coast, Southwest, and interior sections of California northward into Oregon, more than 18 million people were under excessive heat warnings on Sunday night.
Sacramento, which the NWS stated Sunday had tied the record high for July 2 of 109 degrees Fahrenheit that had been in place since 1991, is particularly hot.
According to the meteorological service, July 2 had record daily high temperatures across Northern California, notably in Redding (116°F), Red Bluff (114°F), Stockton (110°F), and Modesto (108°F).
On Sunday, it reached triple digits in Nevada as well.
We have tied the record for the shortest period (2 days) between our first 100° and 110° after reaching 110° today, according to the NWS Las Vegas office. “Only once else has this occurred, and that was in 1955.”
Threat level:
The Southeast and immediate Gulf Coast will continue to experience terrible heat indices on Monday, according to the NWS, before moving even further south on Independence Day. Heat indices might reach 105 to 110 degrees, with highs in the mid-90s. This can be hazardous if you spend a lot of time outside.