Humid heat wave will linger over Maine until Thursday

Humid air conditions combined with temperatures in the high 80s will leave Mainers with heat indexes in the high 90s on Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to National Weather Service forecasters, t he heat index in the Bangor region will climb to around 95 degrees on Tuesday afternoon, with the potential for an even higher index on Wednesday.

Looking north, Caribou can expect the heat index to reach up to 87 degrees, Millinocket could see a heat index of 90 by 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Heat indexes will also be high in the Dover-Foxcroft region, with an expected high of 94 on Tuesday.

Looking Down East, Machias will see indexes top out in the high 70s, while Bar Harbor could feel like the high 80s by the afternoon.

Looking south, it will feel like 95 degrees in Augusta and Portland, with indexes reaching up to 98 degrees in Wiscasset and Sanford.

A heat advisory is in place for southern Penobscot, Waldo, Kennebec, Androscoggin, Cumberland and southern Oxford counties through 8 p.m. this evening.

Wednesday heat indexes aren’t shaping up to be much cooler, with Bangor predicted to see an index of 95 on Wednesday. High indexes will likely persist across the state through Wednesday afternoon.

According to Pine Tree Weather forecaster Mike Haggett, dew points will remain in the 70s, likely through Wednesday, as a tropical air mass stays stagnant over the state. Intermittent thunderstorms will likely mark Wednesday night and Thursday, before potentially cooler air moves in on Thursday evening.

The cooler, drier air moving in will likely give way to a pleasant weekend, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s and much lower dew points.