South Side Burger King workers walk off job due to heat

CHICAGO (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Burger King workers on Chicago's South Side are walking off the job due to working in the heat with a broken air conditioning system.

The Burger King is located at 737 E. 47th St.

Forecasters are warning Chicago area residents that the combination of hot temperatures and high humidity could create a dangerous situation and lead to heat illnesses between Thursday and Saturday.

The National Weather Service issued an “excessive heat watch” in effect beginning at noon Thursday and will continue until 7 p.m. Friday. With temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90s and dew points approaching the upper 70s, the maximum heat index value could reach 115 degrees.

“Temperatures this high could lead to heat-related illnesses with prolonged exposure,” the weather service warned. “The elderly, small children and pets are especially susceptible.”

The weather phenomenon is what meteorologists called a “heat dome,” Charles Mott of the National Weather Service in Romeoville said. It will keep temperatures hotter over a longer period of time. It could also produce more severe storms on Friday night and on Saturday.

The record for Thursday was 103 degrees set in 1901, Mott said. Friday’s record was 101 degrees set in 1991.

Temperatures will begin to fall on Sunday to return to the mid-80s by midweek, Mott said.

Counties affected include Cook, Will, DuPage, Lake, McHenry, Kane, Kankakee, Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle, DeKalb, Iroquois, Ford, Livingston, Winnebago, Boone, Ogle and Lee, forecasters said.