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With mercury rising to 91, Boston catches a heat wave

E-mail|Link|Comments () August 19, 2009 04:19 PM

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

William Watson, 5, Gia LaMonica, 2, and her brother, Dominic, 5, kept cool today in a small pool at Sixth and G streets in South Boston.

By Jack Nicas and Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondents

As if the citizens of Boston needed any confirmation, it’s officially a heat wave.

Temperatures hit 91 degrees several times today, marking the third day in a row the thermometer climbed over 90, meeting the standards for a heat wave, according to the National Weather Service.

But the heat failed to set a record today, coming up one degree short of the record 92 set in 1983. With the sun now dropping toward the horizon, there’s little chance the city will see a record today, weather service meteorologist Bill Simpson said.

Showers and thunderstorms were predicted for this afternoon, but Simpson said precipitation is now unlikely to hit Boston.

“There may be some isolated storms within [Interstate] 495 around sunset,” he said.

Meteorologists expect heavy precipitation Thursday afternoon with a chance of thunderstorms in the evening. The temperature should hover in the mid-80s, Simpson said.

Meanwhile, forecasters are keeping an eye on Hurricane Bill, which is churning in warm Caribbean waters. It is not expected to directly hit Massachusetts, but it could roil the ocean as it travels north over the next few days.

According to National Hurricane Center maps portraying the path of the hurricane and expected wind speeds, there is a 10 percent chance of tropical storm winds hitting Massachusetts, and a stronger possibility along the Cape and islands on Saturday.

“The worst-case scenario would possibly be some gusty winds across the Cape and islands,” Simpson said. “Bill is a pretty large hurricane by width.”

Simpson added there could be 4- to 6-foot seas along the Cape. The hurricane could also produce dangerous rip currents and high surf.