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Step outside in Winchester on Wednesday morning and it may already feel like mid-afternoon in midsummer. Forecasters warn that several days of dangerous heat — paired with overnight temperatures that barely dip — could leave residents little chance to cool off.
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for Middlesex County, in effect from 10 a.m. Wednesday through 8 p.m. Saturday.
Afternoon heat index values could reach 98 to 112 degrees. The worst of it lands Thursday and Friday, when air temperatures alone may hit roughly 103 degrees in Winchester before humidity is factored in.
The forecast reads like a steady climb: a high near 91 Tuesday, then about 99 Wednesday, 103 Thursday, 101 Friday and 94 on Independence Day. Nights offer little relief. Lows are expected to hold between 70 and 80 degrees. Showers and thunderstorms could return Friday and Saturday, in the afternoon or evening.
That mix of heat and humidity sharply raises the odds of heat-related illness, forecasters said, with the greatest danger to older adults, young children, people with chronic medical conditions, outdoor workers and anyone without air conditioning.
The advice is blunt: drink plenty of fluids, stay somewhere cool, keep out of direct sun and look in on relatives and neighbors.
State health officials echo the warning. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health notes that three or more straight days at 85 degrees or above tend to drive a sharp rise in heat-related emergency room visits statewide.
Officials urge residents to ease off outdoor activity at midday, dress in lightweight clothing and never leave children or pets alone in a parked car.
Anyone planning Fourth of July festivities should plan around the heat, even as temperatures slip from their midweek peak. Dangerous conditions may hang on into Saturday, the weather service said, before a cold front finally ushers in some relief.
Will Dowd is a Massachusetts journalist who covers municipal government and community life for Winchester News. He is also the founder and editor of The Marblehead Independent, a reader-funded digital newsroom.
