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Oppressive Heat To Give Way To Storms

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The heat may seem on the oppressive side on Tuesday, but not to worry – there will soon be a break.

CBS 2 Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist says the steamy afternoon will give way to a stormy evening, and a cold front will mean cooler air will work its way in on Wednesday.

But for the moment, a heat advisory is in effect for the entire Chicago area, and much of the rest of Illinois, Indiana and southern Wisconsin.

Temperatures are expected to rise into the mid 90s later in in the afternoon, combined with dewpoints in the mid 70s that will make for heat index values between 103 and 109, the National Weather Service warns.

It already felt like 100 degrees along the lake at 11 a.m., even though the air temperature was below 90. The forecast high for the day is 95.

For the remainder of the afternoon, extra precautions are advised for those who must be outside, and strenuous activities should be postponed.

The afternoon will also be windy, with southwest winds that were blowing at 10 mph as of the 11 a.m. hour picking up to 30 mph.

But between 6 and 9 p.m., thunderstorms will move through. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a slight risk for severe weather between dinnertime and sunset.

The White Sox game against the New York Yankees begins at 7:10 p.m., when the temperature will still likely be 90 degrees. Storms may end up delaying the game, Kleist says.

With multiple-day power outages, downed trees and power lines, flooding and a couple of tornadoes so far this summer, storms may not be everyone's favorite weather phenomenon this summer. But the good news is that these storms will take away the heat and humidity, cutting the high on Wednesday down to 85.

By Friday, the high is a comfortable 82 degrees, and come the weekend, some of the overnight lows will be in the temperate 60s.

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