Low temperatures will reach 98 degrees in the Baltimore area

Although the week starts with rain and dark skies, the Baltimore area can expect a heat wave by Thursday.

Showers and thundershowers will be experienced in the area on Monday afternoon till evening. The National Weather Service said Tuesday’s severe thunderstorms could produce dangerous winds between noon and evening.

Skies will clear Thursday morning as the NWS predicts mostly sunny weather for the Baltimore area Thursday through Saturday.

Temperatures will begin to climb into the 90s on Wednesday and will reach 98 degrees on Friday.

But with the expected humidity, it will feel warmer than that. The NWS expects heat index values ​​of 105 to 110 degrees each afternoon Thursday through Saturday. The heat index measures how hot the weather is for a person’s body, combining air temperature and humidity levels, said Luis Rosa, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Baltimore/Washington.

The NWS is issuing a heat advisory for heat index levels above 105 degrees.

High-pressure winds from the south are expected to bring warmth and moisture to the region this week, the NWS said.

Accuweather meteorologist Nicole LoBiondo said the heat wave moving from the southwest and south central regions of the country to the southeast “sets the stage for a northeast heat wave here.”

“The definition of a heat wave, especially in the Baltimore area, is three consecutive days at or above 90 degrees,” LoBiondo said.

Multiple heat records have been broken this summer, as heatwaves prevail in south India and across the country. July 3 and 4 broke records for the planet’s hottest days, according to data from the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer.

As temperatures rise, it’s important to stay hydrated and take health precautions against the heat. Earlier this month, Maryland recorded its first heat-related death of the year.

The Maryland Department of Health’s Office of Preparedness and Response says infants, young children, young athletes, those over 65 and those with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of heat illness. Heatstroke, heat exhaustion and heat strokes are the most common heat illnesses that people face during summer.

The Office of Preparedness and Response recommends that people stay indoors as much as possible, wear light clothing, drink plenty of water, and avoid leaving infants, pets, children or the elderly in parked cars during the heatwave.