Hazardous heat bears down on Kansas City, but relief is on the way

If you haven’t stepped outside lately, you should know it’s hot — very hot.

Kansas City is experiencing one of the hottest days of the year as temps have broken the mid-90s and are climbing toward 100 degrees. At the Wheeler Downtown Airport, temperatures hit 101 degrees by 3 p.m.

Factor in the humidity, and it’s sweltering out there, Kansas City. The heat index is hovering around 105 degrees or higher.

Because of the heat and humidity, the Kansas City area remains under a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill is warning that prolonged exposure to the heat and humidity may lead to heat-related illnesses if precautions such as drinking plenty of fluids and staying out of the sun are not taken.

The good news is that relief is just around the corner. Much cooler air is expected to move into the Kansas City area starting Friday.

Highs are expected to be in the lower 80s on Friday, upper 70s on Saturday and then lower 80s on Sundays.

There’s a chance of showers and thunderstorms on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some of the storms could produce heavy rains.

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Hazardous heat bears down on Kansas City, but relief is on the way."