Storm front moves through to end the heat wave
A storm front moving through the Chicago area late Saturday afternoon appears to be dissipating the heat wave that has left people grasping at ways to keep cool.
Scattered thunderstorms are expected through the night and into Sunday, with high temperatures expected to be in the mid-70s, about 20 degrees below Saturday's high.
The Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago reported it had to evacuate festgoers as the storms were moving in.
Earlier Saturday, the staff at Arlington Heights' Frontier Park swimming pool was bracing for a large crowd, maybe approaching the seldom-reached maximum occupancy mark of 683 people. A lot of families will be here," pool manager Madison Burkhalter said before the pool opened to the public for the day.
Swimming was just one way suburbanites tried to deal with the extremely hot and humid weather Saturday.
Some folks, like Crystal Lake resident Cassie Cleary and her family, went shopping at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg.
"We're doing all inside errands today to not be outside," Cleary said during a snack break at the dining pavilion.
Accompanied by her husband, Mike, and their kids, Ashlynn and Jackson, Cleary also had plans to go to Ikea, shop for new cellphones and to pick up school supplies.
"We're going to try to beat the crowd," she said.
Elgin residents Kristy Flores and Juan Lopez sought refuge from the heat Saturday morning inside the city's Gail Borden Public Library.
They sat on a comfortable couch in the air-conditioned lobby while waiting for a ride.
"It's too hot outside," Flores said. "I don't want to start sweating just yet."
As for the coming week, temperatures Monday also will be cooler, but meteorologists say the mercury will reach the 80s each day the rest of the week.