Excessive Heat Watch: The Heat Is On This Last Week Of School

Turn on the air conditioning—or at least a few fans! A wave of intense heat is heading into Maplewood and South Orange this week just in time for the summer solstice, which occurs Wednesday, June 20 at 7:09 p.m.

Both Wednesday and the first full day of summer Thursday happen to coincide with National Weather Service warnings of an "excessive" heat watch.

The heat watch also coincides with the last day of school in our district, and the Moving Up Ceremonies at South Orange Middle School and Maplewood Middle School, on Wednesday, June 20. (Columbia High School's graduation ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. that night at Essex County College.)

The summer solstice is the point in time when the Earth's axis is most inclined toward the sun, bringing about the longest day of the year for the Northern Hemisphere, and the official start of summer. 

Although the weather is still supposed to be fairly comfortable on Tuesday, temperatures are supposed to hit 96 by the day of the summer solstice—Wednesday—with the heat index making it feel more than 100 or even 105 degrees. An excessive heat watch is in effect from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday evening.

On Thursday, it will be hot, hazy, and humid with highs topping 98 and the heat index once again reaching 105 degrees. This is expected to be the most intense day of the week, heat-wise.

The weather will still be hot on Friday, with temperatures hovering in the low 90s, but the atmosphere won't be as oppressive as it will be on Wednesday and Thursday, and there will be a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm.

So how will you beat the heat this week? Let us know in the comments section below.