This hot weather will be with us for at least a few more days.

The heat index climbed up to around 100 degrees in Benton Harbor Wednesday afternoon, and it’s expected to go as high as 102 Thursday. National Weather Service meteorologist Nathan Marsili tells us we will eventually get a break, though.

“We have a little bit of relief from the heat here Friday,” Marsili said. “It won’t be maybe quite as hot on Saturday, but Sunday and Monday, you’ll probably see that creep back and heat indexes probably back in the mid-to-upper 90s. But then looking ahead, by middle of next week, it looks like we get a more substantial cold front come through that should knock things down quite a bit.

Marsili says there could be some storms or heavy rain late Thursday, and that could also cool things a little. We wondered if this summer has been hotter than most because it seems like the heat waves just won’t quit.

“Yeah, right now, for example, at South Bend, we’re about 2.4 degrees above normal for the month of July right now.”

Everyone’s reminded to plan outdoor activities for early in the day if you insist on being outside for the next several days. Drink plenty of water and get back into the air conditioning if the heat starts to get to you. Also, make sure pets, if left outside, have plenty of fresh, cool water.

Those looking for places to cool off in air conditioning are reminded public libraries are a good resource for relief.