Mostly sunny and hot, but a little less humid. Mainly dry, but a stray afternoon thunderstorm is possible, especially north of Interstate 78 towards the Poconos. .

An early evening spotty shower or thunderstorm; otherwise, turning mainly clear.

TODAY: Mostly sunny, hot, but a bit less humid with a spotty afternoon thunderstorm. High: 94

TONIGHT: An early evening spotty thunderstorm possible; otherwise becoming clear. Low: 69

SATURDAY: Mostly sunny, hot, and more humid. High: 95 Low: 71

It's officially a heat wave, the first of the season for many, as Thursday marked our third straight day of 90° high temperatures. We're approaching the halfway point of what will likely be a six or seven day heat wave, with the heat peaking on Sunday with record high temperatures possible to wrap up the weekend.

If you're hoping for a thunderstorm to cool you off, the chances are small the next few days, although this afternoon and again Sunday afternoon will see a few spotty storms pop up, more likely the farther north you travel with areas north of Interstate 78 having the best chance of a storm.

Most of us will have to wait until Monday for the best chance of a few showers and storms, ahead of a cold front that will finally break our heat wave and send us back to more seasonable temperatures and humidity levels for the middle of next week.

Until then, stay cool and hydrated with more 90° heat and the heat index occasionally near 100 degrees!

High pressure builds in for Friday leading to partly to mostly sunny skies with highs back up in the mid 90s. Fortunately, the heat index shouldn’t be too much higher than the air temperature as humidity levels look to drop a little in the wake of Thursday’s cold front.

A weak upper level disturbance appears to track in later Friday afternoon into the early evening and similar to Thursday, this feature may touch off a stray shower or thunderstorm. If you see a storm, it’s certainly possible you get some downpours or gusty winds with it, and certainly a cool down with some brief relief from the heat. However, many will likely remain dry.

The heat will remain the big weather story right through the weekend.

Outside of an early evening thunderstorm which should fizzle by or shortly after sunset, expect skies to become mostly clear overnight. Another warm night is on the way with lows around 70 degrees, as air conditioners remain a necessity to help with a comfortable night's sleep.

The weekend will bring a continuation of the heat wave, with highs in the mid 90s and the heat index as high as around 100 degrees with rising humidity levels.

Any thunderstorm development will likely remain to our west over the higher elevations of central Pennsylvania, so there will be little to no thunderstorm activity to cool you off most of the weekend, as the hot, humid, and mainly dry pattern continues.

Sunday will be the hottest and most oppressive day of our heat wave, with record highs likely to fall and widespread triple digit heat indices likely too. The numbers to beat are 95 in Allentown and 96 in Reading, both set in 2016.

Both records are likely to fall, with highs expected to be around 97-100 degrees for many.

While there could be a spotty late day thunderstorm, especially north and west of the Lehigh Valley, the better chances hold off until later Sunday night and even more so on Monday.

Sunday will be the most dangerously hot day of this long stretch of heat and humidity.

A cold front should slowly slide south through the area on Monday, delivering our next best chance for some scattered showers and thunderstorms out ahead of it. Depending on its timing, we still may sneak in one more 90-degree day on Monday, with highs right around 90° expected. It won't be as unbearably hot as Sunday will be, but it will still be quite humid until that front passes through.

Our heat wave should definitely break by Tuesday with a more seasonably warm day anticipated as highs finally drop back into the mid 80s. Dew points also look to drop back closer to 60 degrees as well, meaning Tuesday will feel quite nice compared to what we’re currently experiencing. Stay safe and cool in the meantime!

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