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If hell has a steam room, then today's weather is probably what it feels like. Although we're just barely in the upper 80s temperature-wise, the humidity is currently hovering at about 65%, which is contributing to that unbearable, hot and sticky feeling you will have to deal with when stepping outside.
If you're sensitive to heat, you might want to find a place with AC all weekend: we're currently under an active heat advisory across NYC that will continue until 7pm tomorrow. Potential rain tonight and Saturday won't do much to relieve the humidity and heat, which will finally end on Sunday when the temperature drops to the high 70s and low 80s.
RECOMMENDED: How to find a cooling center near you
Although this isn't officially a heat wave just yet, we're already dealing with one of the hottest summers on record. We've had three major heat waves since the start of the season, the type of thing we'll have to start getting more used to as climate change makes each summer hotter than the last.
Another reason to stay inside today? The New York State Department of Conservation issued an air quality health advisory for New York City from 11am to 11pm today. The current index shows that we're at a level orange, which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, a category of folks that includes children, the elderly and people with asthma.
If you don't have good AC or cooling systems at home, we suggest finding a cooling center near you by calling 311 or checking out the city's recently revamped cooling center maps, highlighting places with functioning air conditioning that are free and open to the public.
If you do have to step outside today, though, we would suggest doing so before 5pm, when showers and thunderstorms are expected, or, if you can, wait until tomorrow, before 2pm, since the heat will pick up around 3pm. Semi-respite will finally come tomorrow night after 8pm, when cooler weather sans rain is expected.
Windows of rain will continue on through Sunday but, luckily, it'll be a little cooler. Regardless of how hot it is, it looks like we have a muggy and grey weekend ahead. Netflix, here we come.