Temperatures are expected to soar Thursday and Friday as Albert Lea and much of the surrounding area are under a heat advisory.

The advisory is in effect from noon Thursday through 7 p.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures are expected to be about 90 degrees for the high on Thursday and 90 to 95 on Friday. Combined with dewpoints in the 70s, heat indices will be between 95 to 105 degrees for both afternoons, the Weather Service states. 

Low temperatures will only fall to 70 to 75 degrees, providing little relief from the heat.

The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will contribute to increased heat illnesses.

People are advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors.

People who have to work or spend time outdoors should reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening.

A high pressure system stretching from coast-to-coast is keeping the heat turned on. The heat and humidity are made to feel worse by the large amount of moisture in the air coming from the Gulf of Mexico, much of it left over from Hurricane Barry.

The heat index, which is what the temperature feels like, should hit 110 (43.3 Celsius) in Washington, D.C., on Saturday and 109 (42.8 Celsius) in Chicago and Detroit on Friday, said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of Weather Underground. Wednesday marked Washington’s seventh straight day with temperatures of at least 90 degrees (32.2 Celsius), and that streak was expected to last for another five days.

 

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.