Summer officially begins later this week, but the heat and humidity, we can tell you they're already in full swing.

Our Christy Dotson talks to the National Weather Service about our first heat wave of the year.

Christy.

We often hear it's not the heat, it's the humidity.

Well, for Kentucky, it's usually both.

Joining us now is John Gordon from the National Weather Service in Louisville.

Okay, John, we have the hottest temperatures of the year so far.

What is causing this heat wave?

Well, the jet stream is all messed up.

A jet stream is going way too far north.

It's brought this bubble of just intense heat across much of the nation, not just Kentucky.

Well above normal temperatures, places in Michigan, in New York that are 20 degrees above normal.

It's much earlier in the season and it's kind of the old sun.

They're having a heat wave.

It's hotter.

Okay.

So how hot are we talking in?

What days are going to be the worst days?

Yeah, we're going to be in the nineties all week, at least through Saturday, it looks like.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

We may break some record highs in Lexington, especially in the record books.

9798 is not out of the question.

And Louisville and Lexington, there's really the only chance of rain is today and Tuesday.

And then we get a chance on Sunday into Monday.

Not good you know, to have that long a heat.

Okay.

So a lot of heat, but also the humidity.

Well, the humidity, that's going to be a factor, right?

Yeah, that's a really good point.

So we don't really get the 72 points.

And when you don't get the high moisture, we're maybe not issuing heat advisories because we need 105 degree heat index to do that.

Yeah, it's going to be 100 hundred one.

Heat index.

That's hot enough.

I'm not sure you can tell the difference between one, two, five, one, two, one.

But yeah, there's definitely going to be some higher heat indices, but not as bad as it could be.

Okay.

Is there any relief in sight?

Yeah, there's a cool front.

Cool.

Not cool.

Cool front.

Sunday into Monday, maybe we can get in the upper eighties, Sunday into Monday.

Hopefully that will happen.

Let's all hope for that and get some rain in here because if we don't get some rain, we're going to get into some drought problems.

And what's called a flash drought, we could really get into some problems.

So I'm hoping we can get something on Sunday.

Monday?

Yeah, and it has been dry for this heat stretch for a lot of areas.

But we will take just shaving a few degrees off.

We'll take it even if we have to wait until next week for it.

Okay.

What are your top three tips to prepare for this kind of heat?

You got to hydrate.

Coffee and alcohol are not hydration.

A lot of water take breaks.

Breaks.

A lot of breaks.

Get away from that heat.

Don't do things foolishly in the afternoon.

Pickleball baseball things.

In the end of the afternoon, don't do it.

Take breaks, drink water, rest.

And if you can get near fans who don't have air conditioning, get in.

Your fans do things to keep the body temperature heat down.

Okay, Wonderful.

Great advice.

Thank you so much for your time, John.

Thanks, Christine.

Bye bye.

Bye.