NEXT Weather Alert for excessive heat, humidity and threat of storms

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — After a three-week stretch of weather without a single high temperature at or above 90 degrees, the Philadelphia region hits that temp for the 32nd time this year on Wednesday.

Heat will build in the region through the day Wednesday with temperatures soaring into the low to middle 90s. Feels-like temperatures will likely range from 100-103 degrees. Late in the day Wednesday, all the heat and humidity will help fuel the chance for showers and storms through the evening hours.

The combination of the dangerous heat and humidity has prompted a NEXT Weather Alert Day on Wednesday to help keep you and your family safe and prepared for the potentially impactful conditions.

An excessive heat warning is in effect in Philadelphia , Delaware County and lower Montgomery and Bucks counties in Pennsylvania, along with Gloucester, Camden, Mercer and northwestern Burlington County with feels-like temperatures up to 105 degrees possible. A heat advisory is in effect around much of the remainder of our region, save for Salem, Cumberland, Atlantic, and Cape May counties in New Jersey and Kent County, Delaware.

Curious about what these heat alerts mean? We explained more here, including the different thresholds for triggering heat alerts around our region.

Feels-like temperatures should pass 100 degrees sometime after 12 p.m., and it won't stop feeling like the triple digits until after 6 p.m. when rain starts to arrive.

Some of the storms Wednesday afternoon and evening could become severe, with damaging winds being the primary concern.

Right now, the storms look to move out of the Poconos and into Lehigh Valley during the late afternoon and early evening and toward the Delaware Valley into the evening hours. The most active timeframe right now is between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. as a line of storms moves across the area from the northwest.

The threat for severe weather will then weaken as the storms continue to track southeast into Wednesday night.

The storms Wednesday afternoon will be ahead of a cold front that will sweep through the region to usher in more seasonable conditions for the second half of the week.

By the way, the record high for Wednesday is 99 degrees, set in 1973. We'll be much closer to that than the normal high of 84 degrees.

How to stay cool, safe in extreme heat

Dr. Rob Danoff of Jefferson Health joined us during a recent heat wave this summer and explained what people experience when suffering from heat exhaustion.

"Listen to your body — you may start to feel lightheaded ... you might have decreased urination, your muscles might start to cramp," Danoff said.

You might also want to avoid sugar and heavy meals. Digestion creates heat , which can make it harder for the body to cool down. While we sometimes refer to spicy food as "hot," doctors say spicy food can actually cool you down as it can induce sweating, the body's natural cooling process.

Cool or lukewarm showers also help reduce your body temperature - though don't make it so cold you start shivering.

Weather tomorrow and Friday and into Labor Day weekend around Philadelphia area

Highs on Thursday and Friday will struggle to get out of the 70s under mostly cloudy skies.

By Saturday, another storm system will bring the chance for scattered showers and storms to the region. These storms will be most likely through the afternoon and may linger overnight Saturday into early Sunday morning.

Your last unofficial day of summer, Labor Day, is looking dry but trending cool, with high temps topping out in the upper 70s.

Here's your 7-day forecast:

Wednesday: High of 96, low of 71, heat, p.m. storms

Thursday: High of 78, low of 72, clouds, some sun

Friday: High of 77, low of 63, clouds, some sun

Saturday: High of 82, low of 66, scattered storms

Sunday: High of 84, low of 71, clearing

Monday: High of 79, low of 68, partly cloudy

Tuesday: High of 75, low of 55, partly cloudy