'Extreme Heat' Returns To Scorch MA With Storm Threat Late This Week

MASSACHUSETTS — A very dry and pleasant respite from the searing summer heat will come to a fiery end across Massachusetts to end the work week with one of the hottest days of the summer expected on Friday.

The National Weather Service issued a Heat Advisory beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday and lasting through 8 p.m. on Friday for all of Massachusetts, excluding Western Massachusetts, the South Coast, Cape Cod and the Islands.

The NWS said the heat index will reach as high as 95 degrees on Thursday and up to 103 degrees on Friday.

The forecast high temperature of 97 degrees would be the second-highest of the season, next to the 102 degrees Boston registered late last month.

Residents are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, avoid strenuous outdoor activities and check on elderly and vulnerable neighbors.

After another beautiful day on Wednesday with a high of 84 degrees and relatively low humidity, temperatures will soar toward 90 degrees on Thursday with higher humidity.

Lows will hover in the 70s on Thursday night before Friday's scorcher, with the NWS forecasting the high of 97 degrees and dewpoints. There will be a chance of thunderstorms after 3 p.m.

A round of showers will usher in a cooler and less humid Saturday with a high of 80 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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