Similarly dangerous heat on Thursday as Wednesday, relief soon - KCRG

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Another day of some unfairly hot weather is in store for eastern Iowa, but there is a cold front on the way.

An Excessive Heat Warning continues across the entire TV9 viewing area, but it finally expires on Thursday evening. Until then, daytime heat index values of 105 to 115, occasionally higher, are likely for several hours.

Current heat-related alerts from the National Weather Service.   (KCRG)

Current feels like temperatures in eastern Iowa.   (KCRG)

An extremely warm start to the day on Thursday will help push us toward another potentially record-setting set of temperatures by the afternoon, with conditions overall feeling fairly similar to Wednesday. The lone exception may be our far northern counties, where a cold front will move through early enough to limit temperatures to "just" the mid 90s. The rest of the viewing area will likely reach the upper 90s to low 100s on the thermometer. Heat indices will be above 100 by lunchtime, and near or higher than 110 by the afternoon.

The cold front pushes through the rest of the area throughout the evening into tonight. Behind the front, there is a very slight chance for a scattered shower or storm late tonight into very early Friday morning. Most of us will totally miss out, and even those who do see raindrops will likely see fairly low totals. While not as warm as this morning, the temperatures on Friday will start in the low 70s, reaching the mid 80s north to low 90s central and south.

Until the heat breaks, it's still strongly recommended to take precautions to avoid heat-related illness amid this excessive heat. If possible, just avoid prolonged periods of time outdoors, especially doing strenuous activities like work or exercise. Steps that you can take to help keep you safe include drinking plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated, while avoiding caffeinated or alcoholic beverages. Wear light-colored, lightweight, and loose-fitting clothing to help your body's temperature regulation system work properly. Take frequent breaks from the heat in an air conditioned space, too.

Don't forget about small children, the elderly, or pets, as they can experience the effects of heat more acutely at times. Check on neighbors to make sure they're coping with the heat, and limit outdoor play time for kids. Outdoor time should also be limited for pets, and make sure to always provide them with water. Importantly, check the back seat of your car before getting out of it; hot car deaths are entirely preventable by not leaving people or pets in them without air conditioning running.

Know and recognize the symptoms of heat-related illness:

Symptoms for heat exhaustion and heat stroke.(KCRG)

The weekend and the first few days of the following week look really quite nice, with highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s and dew points at a much more reasonable level in the 50s or low 60s. This also allows morning lows to fall into the upper 50s on multiple occasions, which will be a significantly better way to start off the day. Unfortunately, the weather pattern remains relatively quiet, with little to no rainfall chance.

A slow warming trend begins again late next week, pushing temperatures closer to 90 by the end of it.

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