Baltimore is broiling under sunny skies today with a high near 102°F and a heat index as high as 113 — dangerous enough that the National Weather Service has extended the Extreme Heat Warning until 9 PM tonight for the Baltimore area. If you’ve got anything outdoors on today’s agenda, get it done early or push it to after dark.
Today’s Setup
Sunny skies, light northwest wind at 1 to 7 mph, and a high near 102°F make this one of the hottest days of the year in Charm City. NWS Baltimore/Washington forecasters call this stretch historic: Friday’s pre-dawn upper-air sounding logged an 850-mb temperature among the highest ever recorded here, over 4°C above the old daily record. Tonight stays steamy, with a low near 82°F and isolated showers and thunderstorms possible between 10 PM and 1 AM (about a 20% chance) as a disturbance slides in from the north.
Best Window To Be Outside
Get outside before 10 AM if you’re headed to the Inner Harbor, Fort McHenry, or a walk around Federal Hill. By afternoon, heat index values near 113°F make extended time outdoors risky, especially for kids, older neighbors, and pets on hot pavement — a dog splash pad in the yard is an easy way to keep four-legged friends cool.
Rain, Wind, Fire, Or Heat Risk
Heat is the headline through the holiday weekend, not rain — Saturday’s high is also near 102°F with a 30% chance of storms after 3 PM. Days of baked, dry ground raise brush fire risk quickly, so keep grilling or fireworks away from dry grass. It’s worth having a go bag emergency evacuation kit and a smoke detector combo pack ready, plus an N95 respirator mask smoke on hand in case smoky air moves through.
What To Wear Or Bring
Light colors, sunscreen, and more water than you think you need. Cooling off on the water is smart on the Chesapeake Bay — a floating lounge with a built-in cooler (on sale now) makes it easy, and our outdoor gear deals page has more ways to beat the heat.
Baltimore Games & Events This Week
The Aberdeen Ironbirds host the Trenton Thunder tonight at Ripken Stadium, and the Frederick Keys face the Brooklyn Cyclones tomorrow, Independence Day, at Nymeo Field — both games play through heat index values near 110°F, so bring water if you’re tailgating. Downtown, Shakira brings the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour to CFG Bank Arena on July 6. Get tickets on SeatGeek, and grab a Shakira t-shirt or Shakira hoodie for the air-conditioned show.
Dinner Tonight
With triple-digit heat, nobody wants the oven on. A cold Thai noodle salad or a build-your-own wrap bar keeps dinner light, and a high-powered blender turns extras into smoothie bowls for tomorrow’s breakfast. Need ingredients? You can order groceries on Amazon and have everything for tonight’s dinner delivered to your door.
Next Few Days
Saturday looks like a repeat — sunny, near 102°F, with storm chances climbing toward evening and into Saturday night. NWS forecasters expect temperatures to gradually ease early next week, though lingering shower and thunderstorm chances may stick around as the pattern finally breaks down.
