Forecast: Heat Wave Breaks

Temperatures yesterday reached the upper 90s and Boston set a new record high of 98 degrees.

Thursday morning, temperatures remain above 70 degrees for the 30th time this summer. This ties the record of the highest number of warm nights, which was set back in 1983. We will likely break that record over the next week.

The high yesterday tied the temperature for the hottest day this year. A cold front will be slipping through the area during the day today and could kick off a brief shower or storm, but for the most part this is a dry day. I'm looking for the dew points to start dropping later this afternoon and by the time we get to the middle part of the evening you'll notice a more comfortable feeling to the air.

Temperatures today won't be quite as warm as yesterday because of the cooler air starting to move in, but it's still going to be quite hot, reaching 85 to 90 which is about 10 degrees above average. The weekend is looking much more comfortable although I do expect the humidity to start increasing again Sunday into Monday. There will be clouds around Friday through Sunday, but some sun as well. The humidity comes roaring back later this weekend.

As we start September, readings will be much higher than average. We are going to likely see another heat wave next week with temperatures getting back into the 90s along with high levels of humidity. August ended up the warmest on record and while we won't have the final numbers in until Friday, this is one of the hottest summers on record, meteorologically speaking.

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Thursday: Sunshine and clouds, shower or storm possible. Highs 83-88.

Thursday Night: Partly cloudy cooler. Lows 62-68.

Friday: Lots of clouds, some sunny breaks possible. Less hot. Highs 72-76.

Saturday: Sunshine and clouds. Mid-70s. Coolest on the coast.

Sunday: Sunshine mixed with clouds. May shower. Highs 78-83.

Labor Day: Partly sunny. Warm and more humid again. Mid to upper 80s.