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Mother Nature is cranking up the heat in the D.C. area and across the nation ahead of Independence Day.

Temperatures hit the upper 90s in the D.C. region Wednesday, with feels-like temperatures well above 100 in some places, 7º£½ÇÉçÇøapp First Alert Meteorologist Mark Peña reported.

The intense heat wave is expected to last through the holiday weekend.

“This heat wave will be intense and will last for days,” 7º£½ÇÉçÇøapp First Alert Chief Meteorologist Veronica Johnson said. “Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water, even when you’re not thirsty.”

Johnson said temperatures could reach 101 Thursday, 103 Friday, 102 on the Fourth of JulyÌýand 94 degrees Sunday.Ìý

“That heat index on the Fourth of July itself, somewhere between 100 and 107 degrees, even at 10 p.m., it could feel like 95 to 100,” Johnson said.

While most of the D.C. area will remain dry Wednesday, there is a possibility of an isolated late-day storm.

It won’t get much cooler when the sun goes down — temperatures will remain “exceptionally warm,” 7º£½ÇÉçÇøapp First Alert Meteorologist Steve Rudin said.

Wednesday night will hold into the 90s before slowly falling into the 80s overnight.

“It stays muggy with little relief from the heat,” Rudin said, adding it likely won’t fall below 80 degrees in the city, with temperatures falling into the 70s in the suburbs.

Thursday is shaping up to be “one of the hottest days the D.C. area has experienced in years,” said 7º£½ÇÉçÇøapp First Alert Meteorologist Eileen Whelan.

An extreme heat warning is in effect for most of the region Thursday and Friday with the possibility of record-breaking temperatures and heat index values around 111.

Across the country

As a heat wave moved across the U.S., the National Weather Service bluntly called the conditions “dangerous.”

The exceeded 100 degrees Tuesday in parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes states.

The Northeast, including New York City and Boston, will next feel major heat through the Fourth of July holiday. Norristown, Pennsylvania, 20 miles from Philadelphia, canceled a Saturday parade because of the weather.

In a news release, the D.C. mayor’s office warned that people should limit their time outside, stay hydrated and dress in lightweight clothes over the next few days and the July Fourth holiday weekend. The District plans to host a massive fireworks display Saturday that could bring tens of thousands of people to the National Mall.

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Where to cool off around DC

D.C. offers cooling centers during periods of extreme heat. There’s a on the District government’s website.

Most government offices are closed Friday for the holiday, but the District’s outdoor pools and spray parks will stay open Friday and Saturday, according to the mayor’s office.

These recreation centers and indoor pools will act as cooling centers from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday:

• Turkey Thicket Recreation Center and Indoor Pool at 1100 Michigan Avenue NE
• Rosedale Community Center at 1701 Gales Street NE
• Deanwood Community Center and Indoor Pool at 1350 49th Street NE
• Columbia Heights Community Center at 1480 Girard Street NW
• Emery Heights Recreation Center at 5701 Georgia Avenue NW
• Raymond Recreation Center at 3725 10th Street NW
• Sherwood Recreation Center at 640 10th Street NE
• King-Greenleaf Recreation Center at 201 N Street SW
• Ferebee-Hope Recreation Center and Indoor Pool at 700 Yuma Street SE
• Fort Stanton Recreation Center at 1812 Erie Street SE

How to stay safe

With this kind of miserable heat expected to blister the D.C. area for days, it’s important to keep yourself and your loved ones (and your pets, of course) safe.

Dr. Sharon Swencki, an emergency physician with MedStar Baltimore, said they tend to see the most patients during the daylight hours.

“People who are working outside with very physical jobs, people who are more prone to heat illness, elderly people with chronic illness, people on some medications,” Swencki said.

“People oftentimes present with some sort of early heat illness — things like nausea, muscle cramping, those are very common, especially in people who are working outside in the heat.”

There are warning signs to be on the watch for.

“ItÌýusually starts as sort of heat exhaustion, which again is just sort of that heavy sweating, feeling faint, dizzy, fatigued, maybe having a low blood pressure, feeling weak when you stand up, heart rate might be a little bit high, you might start to see muscle cramping, nausea, headache,” Swencki said.

“The problem that we see is when people are not removed from the heat, then that can actually progress to heat stroke.”

And then with heat stroke, you might actually start to see seizures, people might not be responding or there responses are strange.

“They are acting confused, they’re not answering questions right, they’re a little bit slow to answer questions, and then in very severe cases might start to have seizures,” Swencki said.

She said prevention is key. And the best way to do that is to limit your exposure.

“If you are outside, tryÌýto be in the shade. DressÌýappropriately, dressÌýyour baby appropriately,” Swencki said. “If you’re hot, they’re going to be hot too, so they don’t need to be in their flannel pajamas with the onesie underneath.”

“People just need to stay vigilant, listen to the newscasters when they’re telling you to stay out of the heat, alerting your neighbors, checking on your vulnerable family membersÌýor your vulnerable neighbors, and make sure they getÌýto a cooling center.”

7º£½ÇÉçÇøapp First Alert Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Mainly clear
Lows: 75-80
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph

THURSDAY
EXTREME HEAT WATCH
Sunny, dangerous heat
Highs: 100-105
Heat Index: 107-112
Winds: Southwest 5-10 mph

FRIDAY
EXTREME HEAT WATCH
Mostly sunny, dangerous heat
Scattered PM storms possible
Highs: 100-106
Winds: West 5-10 mph

SATURDAY
Extreme heat; Thunderstorm risk
Highs: Around 100
Winds: West 5-10 mph

Current Conditions

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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