Ludlow elementary school and Baird Middle School will close early Wednesday and Thursday due to the anticipated heat.
SPRINGFIELD -Increasing heat and humidity will make temperatures Wednesday and Thursday feel like they have hit the triple digits, forecasters say..
The National Weather Service has posted a hazardous weather outlook for Western Massachusetts, particularly the lower Connecticut River Valley, for both days.
Maximum heat indices, which measure the combined effect of heat and air moisture on human comfort, are expected to hit 100 degrees both days, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service has also issued a heat advisory that will be in place from noon until 7 p.m. Wednesday. The combination of high temperatures and high humidity will create dangerous conditions for people who have to spend extended time outside.
The steamy forecast has prompted Ludlow school officials to announce the early closure of the town’s elementary schools and middle school Wednesday and Thursday.
The elementary schools, according to an automated message sent out Tuesday to members of the Ludlow school community, will end classes at 1:45 p.m. The middle school, meanwhile, will end classes at 1:15 p.m.
Ludlow High School students are already getting out early those days as a part of final exam week.
The city of Springfield does not anticipate declaring a heat emergency that would precipitate the opening of cooling centers in various areas of the city, said Helen R. Caulton-Harris, the city’s director of health and human services.
The city typically declares a heat emergency whenever heat indices are expected to exceed 105 degrees or nighttime temperatures are expected to remain at 80 or higher for three consecutive 24-hour periods. Neither of those benchmarks are expected go be hit this week, Caulton-Harris said.
In anticipation of the heat, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation will open its various beaches and wading pools, including Chicopee Memorial State Park’s Reservoir Beach, on Wednesday. That’s three days earlier than the anticipated opening.
Meteorologist Nick Morganelli of CBS3 Springfield said conditions will be uncomfortable in just about every respect.
Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 90s, and the humidity as measured by the dew point will be 65 to 70 degrees and maybe as high as 72 degrees, he said.
There won’t even be any relief at night as the heat and humidity will make it unconfortable for sleeping, he said.
No relief is expected until Friday, he said.
“For the two days people should take precautions. Stay hydrated. Stay out of the midday sun. If you’re going to exercise, exercise in the morning when the temperatures will be lower,” he said.
The city has issued a heat advisory, however, and residents, particularly the young and elderly, are advised to say indoors, ith air conditioning if possible.
Residents should also eat well-balanced meals, drink plenty of fluids, wear loose-fitting and light-colored clothing. Those with elderly and homebound neighbors should check in on them from time-to-time, Caulton-Harris said.
Temperatures are expected to hit 86 on Friday. If the mercury rises to 90 degrees on that day, provided of course that it makes 90 or better on Wednesday and Thursday, Western Massachusetts will log its first heat wave of the season.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency issued an advisory on Tuesday that warned the air quality in the southern portions of Connecticut and Rhode Island and the southeast part of Massachusetts including Cape Cod will experience unhealthy air quality due to high amounts of ground-level ozone.
In the Pioneer Valley, the air quality is expected to be moderate, meaning levels of pollutants in the air could be a problem for some people with respiratory issues or who are senstive to air-bourn pollution.
The EPA has real-time information and forecasts for air quality available on its AirNow webpage