Heat advisory issued for most of Massachusetts through Friday evening

BOSTON - The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for most of Massachusetts Thursday and Friday with temperatures soaring above 90 degrees in the Boston area.

That's prompted the WBZ-TV weather team to issue a Next Weather Alert for the high heat and humidity for the first two days of August.

Heat advisory

The heat advisory also covers parts of Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut. It will last through 7 p.m. Friday.

Heat index values are expected to rise to 95-to-100 degrees in the advisory areas. Actual air temperatures will be in the low to middle 90s. There will be a humid, tropical feel to the air with dew points at 70+ degrees as well through the weekend.

This summer is starting to feel an awful lot like Groundhog Day - prolonged periods of soupy airmasses with very little relief other than a day or two here and there.

Twenty of the 31 days in July had dew points of 70 or higher (second on record) including a 15-day stretch.

As we look ahead to the first few days of August, we see more of the same. Dew points this weekend will average out in the mid 70s!

Temperature-wise, the Boston area will max out in the low 90s Thursday and Friday and then dip back to the upper 80s this weekend thanks to more cloud cover and scattered storms.

When will it rain?

We'll have chances for storms Friday through the weekend. Scattered thunderstorms and some heavier downpours are possible late Friday afternoon into the early evening as the heat and humidity rise. We'll keep an eye on the potential for a few stronger storms on Sunday as well.

Weather this weekend will be far from ideal for all those riding in The Pan-Mass Challenge . There will be sultry conditions mixed with occasional downpours. It will be very important to stay hydrated.

Moderate drought

For the first time this year, parts of New England are now considered to be in "moderate drought." This includes portions of northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern New Hampshire.

It is not all that unusual this time of year to see some hints of drought as most of our precipitation in the summer comes from thunderstorms, which can be highly variable from town to town. The concern here is mainly for groundwater levels. Certainly, you have noticed your lawns turning brown and dirt in your garden drying up.

This will be something to watch in the weeks and months ahead should conditions stay hot and dry.

August weather forecast

Finally, here's a quick look ahead to the final month of summer in Massachusetts. Forecasts are for a warmer and wetter than average month across the Northeast.

We lose a depressing 76 minutes of daylight in August and our last 8 p.m. sunset is this Saturday.

Other things of note, we have the popular Perseid meteor shower on August 12th and a super moon on the 19th.

Stay with WBZ-TV, WBZ.com and CBS News Boston for frequent updates on the weather forecast.