The heat dome continues to blister the area with high temperatures and humidity.
The National Weather Service says that the Heat Advisory will remain in effect from 11am Thursday until Friday night at 7pm.
Meantime, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Protection has issued an Air Quality Alert for most of the day.
According to the advisory the alert is being issued for Providence, Kent, and Bristol counties due to elevated ground level ozone concentrations. The highest readings will be in the Providence metropolitan area. Fine particle readings are expected to reach MODERATE in northern Rhode Island. Ozone is a major component of smog and is formed by the photochemical reaction of pollutants emitted by motor vehicles, industry, and other sources in the presence of elevated temperatures and sunlight.
Air Quality is expected to be a health issue for sensitive groups, including people with heart or lung disease, such as asthma, older adults, children, teenagers, and people who are active outdoors. People with either lung disease or heart disease are at greater risk from exposure to air pollution.
State officials are asking people in those groups to reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion, take more breaks, do less intense activities, follow asthma action plans, and keep quick relief medicine handy. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images News / Getty Images