Escape the Heat, Unhealthy Air Quality in Portsmouth

With temperatures are hovering at 90 degrees and the air is dripping with more than 60 percent humidity, finding a cool reprieve is more needed now than ever this summer.

The National Weather Service center out of Taunton, MA issued a heat advisory on Thursday that will remain in effect until 7 p.m. Meteorologists are predicting temperatures to remain around 90 degrees on Friday as well. Weather forecasters are predicting temperatures will drop Saturday as thunderstorms hit the region.

Coastal residents - including Portsmouth citizens - are experiencing unhealthy air quality on Thursday and Friday, according to the state Department of Environmental Management. The unhealthy ozone levels are causing the air quality
alert across most of the state.

Portsmouth residents can find air conditioning and a cool place to retreat from the heat at the Portsmouth Multipurpose Center located at 110 Bristol Ferry Road from Wednesday to Friday this week from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center is a designated cooling center, according to the state Emergency Management Agency.

Warm and humid conditions will peak over the next two days, with a chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms each afternoon. As a cold front pushes into New England at the end of the day on Saturday, drier weather will move into the region Sunday.