A late summer heat wave has blanketed Northern Illinois and Will County residents are urged to take safety precautions to stay cool and safe as temperatures are expected to reach dangerous levels.

The National Weather Service issued an Excessive Heat Warning, noting that high heat and humidity will affect the area through Thursday night, with heat indexes reaching 110 to 115 degrees.

Some relief will come Friday but heat indexes could still reach lower 90s that day.

“We are urging residents not to take risks this week, especially if you are without air conditioning or are planning to spend time outdoors,” Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said in a news release.

Residents who do not have access to air conditioning are encouraged to visit local cooling centers, which will be set up county wide in village halls, fire stations, libraries, churches and other public spaces.

“The health risks of extreme heat can impact everyone. We are hoping that people take this heat seriously.

—  Allison Anderson, Will County EMA director

A full list of cooling center locations can be found on the Will County Emergency Management Agency website. Residents are encouraged to call before stopping at a facility to make sure they are open and have cooling spaces functioning.

The Salvation Army in Joliet, 300 3rd Ave., will be open as a cooling center Thursday.

The Will County EMA also issued a list of safety tips to follow during the extreme heat, including staying hydrated by drinking extra water; avoiding long periods in the direct sun; staying in the air conditioning; checking on neighbors and loved ones, especially seniors and others with chronic health conditions; and limiting outdoor activities or planning them for cooler times of the day.

“The health risks of extreme heat can impact everyone,” Will County EMA Director Allison Anderson said. “We are hoping that people take this heat seriously. By following these precautions and looking out for one another, we can effectively mitigate the risks associated with extreme heat and prevent heat-related tragedies.”

In the interest of limiting outdoor activity in the worst of the heat wave, many schools are canceling or rescheduling outdoor events as well as games and practices for sports and other activities.

If you have a student involved in outdoor extracurricular activities, check with your local school district or youth sports coach for updates and schedule adjustments.

Will County Regional Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lisa Caparelli-Ruff said districts have been advised to watch the weather and work with parents to accommodate issues.

“Each district is working with parents and trying to shorten the days for students,” Caparelli-Ruff said. “Parents should have students wear light clothing and watch the temperatures.”

Similarly, Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English said the administration “sent out a reminder to our officers to ensure to remain hydrated and a reminder to keep cool, but otherwise there are no other actionable precautions.”

Parks altering schedules

Several of the area park districts have taken steps to minimize outdoor activities during the worst of the heat.

Joliet Park District is moving ahead with its softball tournament, however, two activities for special needs participants, Wednesday night Bocce Ball and Thursday night Garden Club were cancelled.

Lockport Township Park District’s schedule changes mostly involved staff who had to postpone doing early setup at Dellwood Park for the city’s upcoming Military History Days Event. Staff resources were moved indoors instead for work inside buildings.

Lockport did drop outdoor practice for kindergarten through sixth grade soccer, which was supposed to start this week. The practices were changed to a meeting where students can pick up their jerseys and go over team rules.

Plainfield Park District Executive Director Carlo Capalbo said the district was fortunate to not have many outdoor activities planned for the week, but said “we’re watching how the heat trends. Right now we haven’t canceled anything yet, but any outdoor activities, we will be providing plenty of water for participants.”

Bolingbrook Park District has cancelled or postponed most of its outdoor events, including baseball team photos, through Thursday. Adult softball games were being left to the discretion of the teams as they take place in the evenings.

The Village Hall also cancelled a Wednesday concert featuring Don’t Matter to Me because of the heat as well as surrounding activities. The village said that it is working to reschedule the band at a later date.

Ramped up energy use

The power grid is being tested over these days with air conditioning units ramped up, but ComEd said its system can handle the extra usage.

The utility company has over the past several months invested in improvements to “critical electric infrastructure” and is prepared to handle increased demand during times of prolonged higher temperatures, the company said on its website.

ComEd serves 9 million people across Northern Illinois.

“Extreme heat resulting from climate change continues to impact our service territory, but we are ready to meet those challenges,” Terence Donnelley, president and COO of ComEd, said on the website. “The investments we are making to modernize the power grid are increasing our resilience to severe weather like heat waves.”