Extreme heat warning in effect through Saturday

Our extreme heat just got turned up a notch as the National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for the entire region through Saturday.

Daily highs in the upper 90s and heat index readings up to 109 will be common all week. In fact, meteorologists already anticipate the warning could easily be extended into Sunday.

Nights will also be much warmer, challenging some all time records for the warmest lows ever for the period in the mid 70s.

Next week won't bring much relief either. Some exteneded forecasts don't show a return to highs in the 80s until the weekend of September 12-13, up to ten days off. Paducah's usual historical high temperature for the first half of September is 85.

Our next rain chances keep getting pushed back, now with a very slight chance coming in late Saturday into Saturday night.

The warning comes as we sit in the center of another heat dome that has spawned advisories in thirteen states along the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys.