Heat Hits Triple Digits In Latest MA Stretch Of Heat: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Thursday, August 26. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Many local communities hit the triple-digits on the heat index during another wave of high temperatures this week.
• The top doctor at MelroseWakefield Hospital is issuing some stark warnings about the future course of the coronavirus in the state if everyone doesn't get on board with stronger vaccination adherence and mitigation strategies.
• A Worcester cannabis store has been taken over by a chain co-founded by a rapper.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

It's heat wave No. 4 for some parts of Massachusetts.

Temperatures swelled into the 90s across the area on Thursday, which is predicted to be the hottest day during this week's heat.

The heat index — a measure of how hot it feels — on Thursday afternoon hit 103 in the Framingham area, 100 in Worcester and a relatively cooler 99 in the Marlborough area, according to the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for all of Massachusetts except for the Cape and the Islands until 8 p.m. Thursday night. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection also issued an air quality alert for coastal parts of the state, including the Cape and Islands.

There is some good news on the horizon, however, for those who have had just about enough of this sultry summer. Cooler air is forecast to enter the region Friday night into Saturday night with high temperatures those days in the 70s.

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Today's Top Stories

Rapper's cannabis store opening: The Worcester cannabis shop New Día only opened in March, but a chain co-founded by the rapper Berner is taking it over. The new store Cookies will hold a grand opening on Saturday.

Rash of car thefts in Framingham, Sudbury: Sudbury police are reporting a rise in local car thefts, and again warning residents to lock cars — and especially not to leave the keys inside. A car was stolen in Sudbury Tuesday night after nearly 50 cars were pilfered in Framingham this weekend.

Tornado damage reports in: The National Weather Service has released a final look at the three tornadoes that hit Stow, Marlborough and Bolton on Monday in the wake of tropical storm Henri.

'We've taken a step backward': For MelroseWakefield Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven Sbardella, this is a new phase of the coronavirus crisis. It's not a high or a low. It's frustration and pleas. "The concern is even that you're fully vaccinated, anyone of us can be carrying it. We've become the potential source of the spread of the infection."

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

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Brookline First Responders Make Home Birth House Call: Regan Williams was born on her parents' bathroom floor on Aug. 18. Brookline police and EMTs responded to the home immediately and were told by Fallon Ambulance that the safest plan was to prepare for home delivery.

In Case You Missed It: Framingham's chief human resources officer is resigning from the role to take a job as an administrator in Stow. Framingham's mayor — who has seen several department heads ranging from the the police chief to the head of DPW depart in recent years — said Dolores Hamilton had no choice but to find a new job because the City Council voted to cut her salary by December.