Heat, humidity continue in Mass. after pop-up storms hit Friday afternoon

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible in some spots Friday afternoon, especially to the north and west of I-95.National Weather Service

Pop-up thunderstorms rolled through Eastern Massachusetts Friday afternoon, but temperatures are expected to stay in the sweltering range into next week, according to the National Weather Service.

Following the late-afternoon storms, the temperature at Logan International Airport dropped to 77 degrees, down from a high of 95, according to Torry Gaucher, a weather service meteorologist. The record high for Aug. 5 in Boston was set in 1955, when the mercury reached 100, Gaucher said.

“As the rain moves through, it will temporarily bring down temperatures for an hour or two, but it won’t bring a real cooldown,” he said.

The weather service on Friday extended a heat advisory into Sunday afternoon, warning of heat indexes over the weekend running from 95 to 103 degrees, Gaucher said. The heat should break by midweek, perhaps as early as Tuesday, bringing more seasonable temperatures with highs in the 80s to the region, Gaucher said.

Friday afternoon’s storms produced strong wind gusts in some areas and caused tree damage from the Metrowest area to the Merrimack Valley, with downed trees or limbs reported in Boston, Dracut, Acton, Concord, and Boxborough, Gaucher said.

The storms moved quickly through Greater Boston and down to the South Shore and were expected to move out to sea in the evening, according to Gaucher.

[Approximate Radar Simulation - Not Meant To Be Exact] In addition to the oppressive heat & humidity; isolated to scattered showers/t-storms will develop this afternoon. While many locations will remain dry, a few spots may see a drenching thunderstorm. pic.twitter.com/OfA7cJopvY

— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) August 5, 2022

Friday night was expected to be mostly cloudy and humid in Boston. Saturday will be partly sunny and hot with a chance of more pop-up thunderstorms, Gaucher said.

Saturday night in Boston will be humid, with lows in the mid-70s, and Sunday will again be sunny and hot with highs in the mid-90s. Heat index values Sunday could reach 102 degrees.

In Boston, 16 cooling centers continue to be open to residents at Centers for Youth & Families community centers through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The list of centers can be found at boston.gov/heat.

Heat advisories may be extended through the weekend as we're currently forecasting several areas to have max heat indices greater than 95 degrees through Monday! pic.twitter.com/TtSU0OdbyM

— NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) August 4, 2022