Boston Heat Wave Official, Several Temperature Records Within Reach
BOSTON (CBS) - It's official - we have a heat wave! Temperatures rose above 90 degrees at 10 a.m. Wednesday, making it the third consecutive day of 90+ in Boston. Our second heat wave of 2018 (the first came June 29-July 1), it is just the latest accomplishment in what is becoming a summer of heat and humidity milestones.
The records keep piling in, if you are a lover of the heat, no doubt, this has been YOUR summer!
Let's check the temperature record scorecard:
Record High Minimum Wednesday:
Old record: 76 (1948)
NEW RECORD: 81
Record High Maximum Wednesday:
Old record: 96 (1953)
NEW RECORD: 97
Warmest August on record:
Current record: 76.4 (2016)
Aug 2018 so far: 77.2 and rising!
Warmest Meteorological Summer on record (June-July-August):
Current record: 74.1 (1983, 1949)
Summer 2018 so far: 73.7 and rising
Most nights 70+ (low temperature):
Current record: 30 (1983)
2018 so far: 29 and still counting
That last one might be the most impressive stat of all. I think what has stood out most this summer are the warm nights and high dew points (which by the way, go hand-in-hand). We've had very few "open window" nights this summer. With a fairly persistent tropical-like air mass in place and dew points consistently 70+, nighttime temperatures have not been able to cool off much at all. In fact, the last time Boston dropped below 60 was way back on June 24th!
With temperatures in the upper 90s and dew points in the 70s, the "feels-like" temperatures on Wednesday will top 105 in many areas. In conditions like these you should limit your time outdoors, particularly during the hottest parts of the day, avoid strenuous outdoor activity, and make sure to stay hydrated.
There is an end in sight! A cold front will snap the heat wave on Thursday after a hot start (likely near 90 by mid-to-late morning), building clouds and a few scattered showers and storms will push through during the midday and afternoon. It doesn't look like a widespread severe event, but a few storms may produce some heavy downpours and damaging winds. More importantly, cooler and drier air behind the front will make Friday and the first part of the holiday weekend much more comfortable.
Is this the last of the heat? Nope. The first few weeks of September also look very warm. I wouldn't be surprised if we got several more 90 degree days, starting next week. Looks like our recent trend of warmer autumns is going to continue in 2018.