Weather Service: “Oppressive Heat” Forecasted This Weekend

Pray for Rain statue inside Champaign's West Side Park.

URBANA – Meterorologists in Central Illinois are urging people to take high temperatures and humidity levels seriously this weekend. The National Weather Service in Central Illinois says heat indices could rise as high as 105 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.

Experts recommend that you avoid the outdoors and strenuous activities during the hottest part of the day. Prolonged exposure to the heat and humidity can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke. 

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM