Massachusetts is in for a sweltering Thursday with soaring temperatures, humidity and a haze of wildfire smoke in the air — all followed with a chance for thunderstorms.
An air quality alert has been issued until 11 p.m. for some parts of Eastern Massachusetts by the National Weather Service, as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to roll in. The affected counties include Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.
The air is considered in the “unhealthy” range for sensitive children and adults, including those with asthma, lung or heart disease and older adults. Those groups are recommended to limit outdoor activity on Thursday, the Weather Service said.
Temperatures are forecast to reach the 90s statewide during the daytime, with sunny skies — minus the wildfire smoke haze — light winds and high humidity.
Rain chances rise this afternoon, with showers possible after 1 p.m. in Eastern Massachusetts, 2 p.m. in Central and 4 p.m. in the western part of the state.
Isolated thunderstorms and downpours will also be possible, and could continue into the evening, forecasters warned.
Temperatures will dip to the high 60s overnight and aren’t expected to rebound past the 80s on Friday, the Weather Service said.
However, the continued humidity will allow for more thunderstorms to develop throughout the day statewide.
Rain is expected to reach Western Massachusetts first on Friday, possibly before noon, with thunderstorm chances increasing after 2 p.m.
Central Massachusetts should see rain and storms by around 3 p.m., while Eastern Massachusetts may be hit by storms starting around 2 p.m.
Rainfall amounts could total up to a half-inch in Central Massachusetts during the day on Friday, while Eastern and Western may receive up to a quarter-inch.
Damaging winds and flooding are forecasters’ main concerns from these “stronger, slow-moving storms,” with pockets of torrential rainfall causing localized street flooding.
The storms are projected to continue throughout Friday evening and into Saturday. Forecasters are eyeing a cold front to bring temperatures back down into the 70s by Sunday.
