Rain and hot temperatures will continue on Friday as the heat wave begins to ease

More rain and hot weather are expected Friday after some parts of the Baltimore metro area saw thunderstorms and hail Thursday afternoon as record temperatures began to drop.

The summer heat wave that hit Labor Day weekend is expected to subside after the next few days of rain, which began with scattered storms Thursday afternoon. Highs are expected to remain in the 90s on Friday amid rainy weather, which could continue into Monday, prompting the Baltimore City Health Department to extend a Code Red alert for extreme heat through Friday.

Large hail was reported across north-central Baltimore County Thursday afternoon when the first storm clouds appeared in the sky since the heat wave spread, according to the National Weather Service. The service said strong gusty winds uprooted trees in Harford County.

Storms are expected to start again Friday afternoon, with a high of 92 degrees forecast. Temperatures are expected to drop throughout the rainy weekend, with temperatures expected to reach the upper 80s on Saturday, and the lower 80s on Sunday.

During the city’s extreme heat alert period, cooling centers will be opened across the city to provide air conditioning and cold water drinks. A map of cooling centers can be found here.

Residents concerned about vulnerable neighbors experiencing the heat are encouraged to call 311 for assistance.

Along with cooling centers in Baltimore City, Harford County Public Library branches operate as cooling centers Tuesdays through Thursdays.

A ridge of high pressure directing air downward, combined with offshore flow and relentless sunshine, is causing record-high temperatures across a large swath of the U.S., from the East Coast to the Midwest, said Brian LaSorsa, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. And the southern plains. Service office.

Temperatures soared into the high 90s in the Baltimore area over the weekend, with Sunday’s maximum temperature of 98 degrees being one degree higher than the previous record set on Sept. 3, 1898, according to the National Weather Service.

Monday was the hottest Labor Day in the Baltimore area since the holiday began, with a high of 99 degrees recorded at BWI Marshall surpassing the 98-degree temperature there on September 1, 1980, and also surpassing the record high set on September 4 It is 96 degrees. Tuesday’s temperature – which registered 99 degrees at the airport – broke the record set on September 5 which was previously set at 96 degrees in 1954.

The temperature recorded at the airport on Wednesday, at 100 degrees, surpassed the record of 98 degrees set in 1983 for the highest temperature on September 6 at BWI. The highest September temperature ever recorded in Baltimore was 101 degrees on September 7, 1881.