Dangerous heat Friday and Saturday in Maryland, Weather Alert Days declared

BALTIMORE -- Your second heat wave of the season will be long and intense. ALERT DAYS have been issued Friday & Saturday.

High temperatures on the 4th of July reached 94° at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. Feels like temperatures across the area ranged from 98° to 105°.

Our WJZ First Alert Weather Team has declared Friday and Saturday ALERT DAYS for dangerous heat and humidity. Both today and Saturday will feel oppressive, especially from late morning into the early evening hours. Highs today and Saturday are expected to climb into the upper 90s to near 100°. Some areas may feel as hot as 112° with excessive heat warnings already in effect. Overnight low temperatures will only fall into the upper 70s and lower 80s.

This type of heat is dangerous for everyone if heat precautions aren't taken. Please make sure to stay well hydrated, take long breaks in air conditioning, wear loose, light weight and colored clothing, and make sure your neighbors, the elderly, and your pets are safe in the heat. We all have to get through this together, so, kindness goes a long way.

Some spotty showers and thunderstorms are possible this afternoon & evening but a better chance for storms arrives on Saturday as a cold front moves through.

Any storm that forms could be severe with damaging winds, intense lightning, and torrential downpours. The rain is much needed as drought conditions continue to expand and intensify across the state with the recent dry weather and extremely hot conditions. We will have another look at the drought monitor next Thursday to see if any of our thunderstorm rains will have had an impact.

Sunday stays very hot with highs climbing into the middle 90s, but humidity levels should drop a bit for at least a little relief. Feels like temperatures still will top out in the upper 90s under plenty of sunshine. Sunday's weather stays dry the entire day.

Monday the humidity quickly climbs higher. The humidity combined with high temperatures well into the 90s means we will endure feels like temperatures in the low 100s. Other than a stray shower or thunderstorm, Monday looks dry.

Tuesday features tropical humidity and heat with highs in the lower 90s, but feels like temperatures soar to at least 100°, if not higher. Scattered thunderstorms will form on Tuesday, cooling some lucky neighborhoods off that receive them. A few more isolated storms are possible Wednesday, but the storms don't look widespread.

Unfortunately the heat wave will likely not break through late next week. There is some good news though, the temperatures don't look as sweltering late next week as they will be over the next several days.

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