Like Ke$ha once famously said, “hot and dangerous”, and that’s really the important thing to underscore with today’s heat. Yes, I know it’s summer but the heat that’s on tap for today is unusual heat for New England, even in the summer. Most of us should be able to reach 100° today, with feels like temperatures as high as 110°. Even the Cape, where we typically find relief could see feels like temperatures as high as 102° this afternoon.
I’m going with a forecast high in Boston of 101° today, which would shatter the daily record (record high temperature for June 24th) which currently stands at 95° set back in 2013. Also on the table is hottest June temperature on record. Right now, that record stands at 100°, set most recently in 2021 (it’s happened a few times). Of course 101° would take that record all to itself. I don’t think we can get to 104° which is all time hottest temperatures on record in Boston, but the fact we’re within a few degrees should tell you how rare this type of heat is.
Air temperatures will hit 100° for most of us today with even the Cape climbing into the 90s.
Most of us will officially record our first heat wave of the year as we soar past the 90° mark today. Unfortunately, Worcester, you’ll have nothing to show for this heat! Falling just short of 90° on Sunday.
If you must be outside today, please take this heat seriously. Drink plenty of water, layer up the sunscreen, take breaks and find shade. Like I said before, this is not your “standard” summer heat. Also, if you find yourself out running errands, leave the kids and dogs at home. The inside of your car essentially becomes an oven on days like today. At just 90° the inside of your car will reach 109° in just 10 minutes and 124° in a half hour. Also, while the dogs may get a little squirrely without their walks, today could be a day to skip that, or do what you can to keep them on the grass. Pavement temperatures skyrocket in the sun and heat that we’ll have today.
So when is the relief? Well, we start to work in cooler air tomorrow, but it’s a slow process. We’ll have another hot day tomorrow, but it’s not today-level heat. We’ll still climb to the 90s but it’s a lot better than today. We’ll also bring a few storms into the mix tomorrow afternoon and evening. They will be isolated — probably only a 20-30% chance, but those storms will start the process of breaking down this heat. The true relief is here Thursday-Saturday as we slide back into the 70s.
