Yes, Friday’s torrid temperatures broke an old record — in Portland, anyway.
But no, this wasn’t technically a heat wave. Meteorologists don’t like that term anymore because the definition is too vague.
The air in Portland on Friday reached a high temperature of 95 degrees, just barely edging out the 1982 record of 94 for that date.
Weather officials said Portland reached its new high at about 4 p.m. If you factored in humidity, the air temperature was a sweltering 103.
When the air hit 95 degrees on Friday, it made Portland the hottest place in Maine, weather officials said.
While Saturday won’t be exactly chilly, forecasters say no new heat records are likely to be made.
“This is the end of the really hot stuff,” said National Weather Service meteorologist James Brown, in Gray. “It will start cooling off.”
Maine wasn’t alone in its sweaty discomfort Friday by any stretch of the imagination. Weather officials said heat advisories were issued in 23 states, including New Jersey, where temperatures soared to 106 in some areas.
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