Meteorologists declared – around 5:30 p.m. this evening – that at 99 degrees, the Chicagoland area has officially broken the record temperature for Aug. 27, last set in 1973. 

Due to Chicago’s extreme heat conditions, after-school sports at West Chicago Community High School have either been moved to early morning practices or were canceled altogether.

Temperatures began to rise on Saturday, Aug. 24, and are predicted to continue reaching high temperatures until the end of the school week. 

“I feel like I can’t even go outside and practice my sports without feeling like I’m getting heat exhaustion,” junior Molly Merkel said. 

For the past two days, the boys’ football team met on the field at 5:30 a.m., when temperatures were at their lowest for the day, around 70 degrees. Cross-country also ran in the morning before school, and golf events were completely called off. 

“Due to the high temperatures, we had to have morning practice. [Although] it was earlier and it wasn’t as hot, we were still all sweaty – even though it was an easy run,” junior cross country runner Valeria Ballines said. 

These extreme temperatures are an unexpected occurence for late August, when people usually start to experience the breeze and cooler days of early fall.