Heat, extremely high humidity, and storm chances across Maryland
After a welcome break from high humidity Tuesday, it's back in full force Wednesday. Showers and a few drenching downpours will pass through the area Wednesday. Heat and humidity continue to build on Thursday.
Friday and Saturday are Possible First Alert Weather Days - due to a greater chance of your outdoor plans being impacted by scattered heavy, drenching thunderstorms.
Drenching downpours at times, high humidity across Maryland
Widespread drenching downpours early Wednesday morning are slowly starting to break apart as they move north. Isolated to widely scattered downpours moving up from the south will continue to bring random hit or miss drenching showers through the rest of the day. The coverage of these showers will become less and less as we head toward the afternoon and evening hours.
In addition to the scattered showers and storms for the rest of the day, the air will be extremely muggy. Highs will top out in the middle 80s, but the heat index will reach the lower 90s.
An isolated shower or storm is possible through early evening, then expect partly cloudy skies overnight with patchy fog. The air will be extremely muggy with lows in the lower to middle 70s.
Heat, brutal humidity, and a few storms late week in Baltimore
Most of central and northern Maryland will be dealing with another heat wave starting Thursday continuing through early to mid next week. This heat wave won't feature exceptionally high temperatures, but it will feature horrendous levels of humidity. This means the heat index will be much hotter than the actual forecast high temperatures through the weekend.
Thursday the heat will be more noticeable as high temperatures climb toward the lower 90s. Given tropical humidity levels, the heat index during the afternoon will reach 100° to 103° in our hottest neighborhoods. A few isolated storms are possible later in the day and evening. One or two of those could become severe with damaging winds and torrential downpours. We are currently under a level 1 out of 5 risk for severe storms Thursday.
The WJZ First Alert Weather Team has tagged Friday and Saturday as possible First Alert Weather Days due to a greater chance of your outdoor plans being impacted. Storms that develop during this time will feature intense cloud to ground lightning, torrential downpours with localized flooding, and a few pockets of damaging winds. Neither day looks like a washout with most of the storms being hit or miss and taking place in the afternoon and evening hours.
Outside of any storms this weekend, tropical humidity and temperatures in the 90s means heat index values will be over 100°. The heat will peak early next week with highs in the middle 90s with horrendous humidity. A strong cold front should end this current tropical stretch of heat by mid to late next week.
Stay with the First Alert Weather Team as we go through this unsettled pattern into mid-August.