Hinsdale faces waves of severe thunderstorms from Thursday through Saturday, the National Weather Service warned, just as a multiday heat wave begins to ease. The storm threat is new.
Thursday, Sept. 3, carries a level 1 out of 5 severe storm risk, with elevated chances continuing into Friday and Saturday, Patch reported Wednesday.
Storm probabilities climb as the week goes on. The Chicago Tribune reported a 30% chance of thunderstorms Wednesday night, rising to 40% Thursday and 50% Friday.
The National Weather Service has not yet detailed specific hazards for the Thursday-through-Saturday storms beyond the level 1 rating. Residents can check weather.gov/lot for updated watches and warnings.
The storms follow several days of extreme heat. A heat advisory remained in effect for DuPage County on Wednesday, Sept. 2, from noon to 9 p.m., with the NWS forecast page for Hinsdale showing 92 degrees and a heat index of 100 at Midway Airport around 12:53 p.m. The forecast high for Wednesday was 95 degrees, dropping to 93 on Thursday.
Heat may linger south of Interstate 80 into Friday, the weather service said. But for Hinsdale, the bigger concern shifts to storm damage.
Hinsdale saw similar damage in late July. An intense storm dumped nearly 3 inches of rain on the village with wind speeds near 70 mph, The Hinsdalean reported. No injuries were reported, but the storm created widespread problems.
This heat wave has been unusually dangerous across the region. On Tuesday, Sept. 1, heat index readings hit 117 degrees in Romeoville and 106 in Sugar Grove, according to Shaw Local, though forecasters cautioned that some monitoring equipment tends to run high on dew point measurements. Chicago's normal high in early September is about 80 degrees, according to Dr. Ashish Sharma, Climate and Urban Sustainability Lead at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Discovery Partners Institute.
A WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times analysis found that Cook County recorded its 13th heat-related death of 2026 in August, more than any year in the last decade. Sharma called the heat wave "somewhat unusual and a significant and potentially dangerous late-season event."
Illinois has also set a tornado record this year. As of late August, 207 tornadoes had touched down statewide, surpassing the previous record of 142, the Sun-Times reported.
The NWS recommends drinking water before feeling thirsty, wearing lightweight and light-colored clothing, and limiting strenuous outdoor activity to early morning or evening hours. Heat exhaustion symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, nausea and dizziness. Confusion and a rapid pulse may signal heat stroke, which requires emergency medical attention.
A Hazardous Weather Outlook remains in effect for Hinsdale as of Wednesday. Residents can monitor the latest storm watches and warnings at weather.gov/lot.
