CHICAGO () — The Chicago area faced another round of sweltering conditions Thursday as dangerous heat continued to grip parts of the region.
An Extreme Heat Warning remained in place for southern Cook County until 7 p.m., while the south suburbs and northwest Indiana were under a Heat Advisory through 9 p.m.
At the same time, more than 1,000 customers in northwest Indiana were left without electricity as temperatures climbed. NIPSCO reported multiple outages, primarily in Gary, though the utility had not provided a cause for the disruptions.
The outages come only weeks after many northwest Indiana residents saw power restored following destructive storms that swept through the area in August.
ABC7 Chicago AccuWeather meteorologists said highs were expected to reach the 90s, with heat index readings topping 100 degrees. A lake breeze was forecast to offer some relief by Thursday afternoon.
Chicago Public Schools said all outdoor activities were being moved indoors Thursday because of the heat.
Outdoor athletic games were postponed, and practices were either canceled or relocated inside.
Forecasters also said storms could develop, with the potential for heavy rainfall in some areas.
Heat issues on Wednesday led to malfunctions on the DuSable Lake Shore Drive Bridge and the Torrence Avenue Bridge on the city’s Far South Side.
Chicago’s hot and humid weather did not stop people from heading outdoors, as crowds gathered for a Ye, formerly know as Kanye West, concert at Soldier Field and preparations continued for a busy festival weekend across the Chicago area.
Fans lined up at Soldier Field for hours in the heat ahead of YE’s homecoming concert, waiting to purchase merchandise or tickets.
Julian Alvarado, a fan attending the event, said the wait was worth enduring despite the temperatures.
“It’s insane I got here really early like 8 a.m., been here for more than four hours now going into it. It’s not too bad it was worse earlier had to get into the shade but yeah no rain.”
Some visitors said they were unfazed by the weather.
Jordan and Joseph, who were visiting for the concert said, “We’re great worst comes to worst shirt comes off.”
Others said the conditions felt mild compared with where they were from.
Zena Penn, who was visiting from South Carolina said, “I do understand why Chicagoans would be frightened over a heat wave advisory. We saw it and we kind of laughed, because this is nothing compared to South Carolina this actually feels very nice. But I just hope everyone stays hydrated.”
Elsewhere, crews were preparing for the North Coast Music Festival in Bridgeview, which is expected to draw thousands of attendees over the next three days. Organizers said they have measures in place to help festivalgoers cope with the heat, including 25 water stations.
Isaiah, representing the festival, said attendees will have access to free water.
“The fans are able to fill their water packs, water bottles for free through there and then we have a water and ice team that completely surveys the grounds and hand out free water bottles to people all over the site.”
Along the lakefront, residents took advantage of the sunny weather by exercising and spending time outdoors despite the high temperatures.
Bryant Tucker, a Chicago resident, said he was making the most of the warm conditions while they last.
“It could but this is Chicago so anything could happen with El Niño La Niña and all these other situations who knows how the weather is gonna be this time next week so just taking the opportunity to get some good steps in.”
With concerts, festivals and outdoor recreation drawing large crowds, organizers and attendees alike emphasized the importance of staying hydrated as hot weather continued across the region.
