Warm weather arrives with first official day of summer

Break out the sun screen and get ready to crank up the air conditioning because summer has finally arrived, meteorologists are saying.

Bill Nelson, with the National Weather Service, said temperatures will reach the upper 80s or low 90s this afternoon, then remain and linger in that range until Wednesday of next week.

However, he warned, heat indexes could skyrocket to the mid-90s during that time frame, so people who suffer from heat related problems should plan accordingly.

“We will see close to 90 today, and that will stick around through the weekend and into next week,” Nelson said. “The heat and humidity in the lower 90s are expected through next Wednesday.”

He added there is a chance all week for isolated thunderstorms due to the heat, but said no major thunderstorms are being reported through the first heat wave of 2013.

“It’s nice that summer arrived on the first day official day of summer,” he said. “But, people should take precaution. Most people are not acclimated to the hotter weather yet, so people should take precautions as necessary.”

That means people should use plenty of sun screen, drink plenty of water, and head in to a cooler place when necessary, he said.

For more information on heat-related illnesses or for weather forecasts, people should keep an eye on weather.gov.