BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Greater Boston is in for a fiery few days. A heat wave will begin Wednesday, with the worst of the heat coming on Thursday and Friday before tapering off for the weekend.
Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey declared a heat emergency for Wednesday through Friday, opening cooling centers throughout the city.
The actual temperatures forecast for the week are hot, but not record-breaking — the other problem is the humidity, as National Weather Service Meteorologist Alan Dunham explains:
"You take the combination of the heat and the moisture, and that's going to be pushing the heat index...and its going to be taking it to areas you don't get to see very often, especially on Thursday," Dunham said.
Dunham said the heat index, or how hot temperatures actually feel, is similar to the wind chill in the winter. More humidity in the air makes the air feel hotter.
A Heat Advisory has been issued for Wednesday between 11:00 AM and 8:00 PM for most of the state besides the Cape and Islands. Temperatures could break 90, and the heat index could touch triple digits in Boston.
For Thursday and Friday, an Excessive Heat Watch has already been issued for Most of Eastern and Central Massachusetts besides the South Coast and the Cape and Islands. Temperatures will feel like more than 100 degrees in most places, and will feel like 103 in Boston both days. Lowell is forecast to take the jackpot for now, with the heat index on Thursday a blazing 109 degrees.
Listen to WBZ NewsRadio for weather updates every ten minutes throughout the heat wave:
Written by Chaiel Schaffel