Salem Fire To Provide Sweet Soaking Relief To The Heat This Week

SALEM, MA — The Salem Fire Department will partner with the Parks & Recreation Department and the YMCA to help provide some relief to city children during the upcoming heat wave.

A "Soak the Kids" schedule is set beginning on Wednesday through Friday at Forest River, Collins Cove and Palmer Cove.

The apparatus will be at Forest River from 1 to 2 p.m. and Collins Cove from 3 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Palmer Cove from 1 to 2 p.m. and Forest River from 3 to 4 p.m. on Thursday and Collins Cove from 1 to 2 p.m. and Palmer Cove from 3 to 4 p.m. on Friday.

Massachusetts may experience some of the hottest temperatures of 2023 later this week, according to forecasts.

Temperatures may reach into the 90s across the state — and most of southern New England — on Thursday and Friday. Humidity may also rise, pushing heat indices to near 100 or higher.

The heat index measures "what the temperature feels like to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature," according to the National Weather Service.

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