Summer doesn’t arrive until after 7 p.m., but the haze and humidity have arrived as forecasters predict that today is the beginning of the first heat wave of the season.
The National Weather Service predicts temperatures inland will reach the mid 90s, with humid conditions, light winds and sunny skies. The heat index will near 100 degrees, which is how the conditions feel to your body. Along the coast, temperatures won’t be as severe, with high temperatures predicted to reach near 90 degrees before a sea breeze moves in.
However, Thursday, conditions will be hotter across the region. The National Weather Service has a heat advisory in effect for Thursday afternoon for the entire region, except for the immediate coast. Inland, temperatures will reach the upper 90s, with a heat index of between 100 degrees and 105 degrees. Temperatures along the coast will be slightly cooler, with highs in the low 90s.
The heat could be record-setting at Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township. The record for today, set in 2010, is 95 degrees. The record for Thursday is 97 degrees, set in 1988, according to the National Climatic Data Center.
Combined light winds and little swell will mean there is little risk of rip currents along the coast. The water temperature in Atlantic City is 71 degrees, which is unusually warm for this time of year.
