Heat advisory warns Morgan County of dangerous weekend temperatures

A heat advisory covered the entire WLDS listening area for Sunday, June 28, with the National Weather Service in Lincoln warning that heat index values could climb to 105 degrees between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. That meant the hottest part of the day would overlap with afternoon errands, farm work, youth sports, and church events across Morgan County and west-central Illinois.

The warning carried special weight in a county where 21.5% of residents are age 65 or older, according to Census QuickFacts. Morgan County had 32,915 residents in the 2020 census and an estimated population of 32,515 as of July 1, 2025, while Jacksonville, the county seat, had 17,616 residents in 2020. The National Weather Service says a heat advisory is issued for dangerous heat conditions that are not expected to reach warning criteria, but the agency also warns that heat remains the leading weather-related killer in the United States, causing hundreds of fatalities each year.

Very young children, pregnant people, older adults, outdoor workers, athletes and anyone without reliable air conditioning faced the greatest risk. The Illinois Department of Public Health urged people to use air conditioning, drink plenty of water and avoid unnecessary hard work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when heat is often most punishing. For people without home cooling, the department points to public places such as a library or shopping mall and directs residents to cooling center information through Keep Cool Illinois.

The practical advice mattered across Morgan County communities from Jacksonville to Meredosia, Franklin and Waverly. The advisory also fit a weekend when families were trying to balance outdoor plans, river-related concerns and holiday-season gatherings, making it easier for heat exhaustion or heat stroke to develop if people stayed outside too long or did not drink enough fluids. Pets were also at risk, and state health officials warned never to leave them in parked cars.

The National Weather Service later extended the concern, forecasting another heat advisory from June 29 through July 3 with afternoon heat index readings peaking between 105 and 110 degrees. That turned the advisory from a single-day warning into a longer stretch of dangerous heat for central Illinois, with little relief for crews, farm operations and anyone working outdoors during the peak afternoon hours.