Delawareans can expect scorching temperatures through midweek.
New Castle County is under an extreme heat warning through 8:00 Wednesday evening while the rest of the state is under a heat advisory as temperatures soar.
The National Weather Service predicts Monday temperatures in the mid nineties, with heat index readings as high as 105. Tuesday may be even warmer, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees and heat index readings back to around 105 degrees.
While temperatures may abate slightly Wednesday, NWS meteorologist Zack Cooper says more relief is possible Thursday as a cold front makes its way into the state.
“For right now, it looks like lower 90s generally on Thursday, but again that's very much going to be dependent on the timing of the cold front," he says.
Until that cold front arrives, night time won’t bring much respite from the heat. While things will cool off at night, Cooper says overnight lows will probably stay in the upper 70s and possibly the low 80s. Calm winds will mean there won’t be much of a nighttime breeze to cool things off.
“It's not going to be as bad at night, but it can stay really, really uncomfortable and dangerous," he says.
While urban areas like Wilmington and Dover will be slightly hotter and coastal areas slightly cooler, Cooper says the heat wave is affecting the entire state.
“The pattern is about the same across the entire area. You know, we got this big ridge, not a lot of energy to disrupt this at all, a lot of sinking air over the area," he says.
