RICHMOND, Va. — The high at Richmond International Airport hit 96° on Saturday, making it the hottest day of 2015 thus far. High temperatures were a couple of degrees lower on Sunday, but the heat will increase Monday into Tuesday. The lows and highs will be near-record levels.
The heat index, or how the combination of temperature and humidity feel to us, may hit or surpass 105° Monday and Tuesday afternoons. While the heat index values of the past few days have not been great, they will reach a dangerous level on Monday, Tuesday, and again on Thursday.
Make sure to be near air conditioning as much as possible, and if you do need to spend time outside, take breaks in the shade whenever you can. The temperatures we measure are taken in the shade, so the values in the direct sunlight are much hotter. Humidity levels will continue to be very high, and this limits the ability of your body to cool itself.
Temperatures will dip slightly on Wednesday and towards the end of the week. As of now, it looks like we may get a more pronounced drop in temperatures next week.
