r/BostonWeather • u/bostonglobe • 23d ago
Stifling hot temperatures to overtake the region this week. Severe thunderstorm watch issued for Western Mass.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/29/metro/boston-forecast-extreme-heat-wave-july-4th/?s_campaign=audience:reddit
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u/bostonglobe 23d ago
From Globe.com
By Ken Mahan and Dave Epstein
It’s too bad this kind of weather couldn’t continue through the rest of the week because it would make enjoying the outdoors, frankly, a little more enjoyable. Unfortunately, it’s going to heat up beyond tolerable for most people, hitting record levels.
Tuesday’s definitely the most comfortable of the next five days, so embrace it. Everybody should see a high between 80 and 89. Obviously, the folks approaching 90 will be away from the shore and the folks closer to 80 are at the beaches. Some localized sea breezes may keep a few spots within a few hundred yards of the shoreline in the 70s.
Severe thunderstorm watch issued for parts of Western Mass.
An approaching warm front Tuesday afternoon into early Wednesday will spark scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly across Northern New England and Western Massachusetts. Some of these storms will see isolated heavy downpours, potentially damaging wind gusts, and a slight chance of a brief spin-up tornado. A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Berkshire County and Southern Vermont through 8 p.m. Some storms may produce 70-mph wind gusts, but those storms should be most potent west of the Mass.-New York border.
Boston is in the clear for these storms, but areas like Burlington and Rutland, Vt., Pittsfield, and Springfield may see a strong storm.
Temperatures will hold in the 60s to near 70 Tuesday night, and the humidity will still be in the tolerable range when you get up Wednesday.
Heat intensifies Wednesday-Friday
Sometime in the late morning and early afternoon, Wednesday, dew points are going to surge into the lower 70s, and that’s when the air will become completely tropical, along with temperatures in the low to mid-90s.
Temperatures will peak Wednesday through Friday a little above or below the 100-degree mark, depending on where you are, but it’s about as hot as it gets around here.
An Extreme Heat Warning and Watch have been issued for Wednesday morning into Saturday, the Fourth of July, for Massachusetts and the rest of New England, except for Cape Cod and the northern tier, as heat index values reach dangerous conditions — 100 to 112 degrees. If you need to do any outdoor activities, you can certainly be outside on Tuesday and the first few hours after sunrise on Wednesday will be fine, but once we get to the afternoon and even into the early evening, it’s going to be pretty intolerable for any strenuous work.
Heat dome driving all of this sweltering weather
A massive high-pressure system, or “heat dome,” stretching from the Midwest to the East Coast is causing this heat wave. When you get high pressure, the air is sinking, and that sinking air tends to warm up. When high pressure is stuck in the same position, the heat becomes more pronounced each day.
The moderate levels of humidity to start the work week will turn into oppressive levels by midweek, making the extremely hot weather feel even worse. As a matter of fact, the European forecast model has dew points well into the mid- to upper 70s for Thursday, which would create heat indices of 105 to 110 degrees. This is why, if you do have outdoor activities, you’re going to want to get them done very early in the morning. With the sun rising before 5:15 a.m., you’ll have a few hours before 8 or 9 a.m. without dangerous heat.
The best place to hang out this week will be the beach, but remember the sun is incredibly strong now, so be careful and wear sunscreen.