Excessive Heat — Peoria, Illinois

2019-07-17 to 2019-07-20 · Peoria, Illinois

Event narrative

A 61-year old woman died from heatstroke in Peoria on July 21st. She was found inside a 97-degree house with no air conditioning.

Wider weather episode

A large ridge of high pressure building over the Midwest brought a period of hot and humid weather to central Illinois from July 17th through July 21st. High temperatures routinely topped out in the lower to middle 90s during that time frame, while overnight lows only cooled into the middle to upper 70s. High relative humidity values helped push maximum afternoon heat index values to 105 degrees or higher. A cold front eventually brought relief to areas along and west of I-55 by July 21st...with cooler conditions not arriving further east until the 22nd. Due to the prolonged period of excessive heat and humidity, two people died across central Illinois. An 81-year old man in Flora in Clay County passed away on July 18th, while a 61-year old woman died in Peoria on July 21st.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 846517. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.