This week’s forecast makes for an uncomfortable official start of summer.

Monmouth and Ocean counties could see the heat index climb above 100 degrees later this week, the National Weather Service in Mount Holly said.

The agency has issued a heat advisory beginning Tuesday and an excessive heat watch from Wednesday through Saturday evening, as a high pressure system moves into the region and sits off the coast.

“Essentially the heat will be moving into the area and then will be sitting there, pumping in (hot air),” said Mike Lee, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Mount Holly.

The heat wave is expected to be felt from Texas to New England, and its duration could be the longest in decades, the weather service said, making for a sweltering Juneteenth holiday and summer solstice.

The heat comes with potentially serious consequences. Every day of extreme heat in the United States claims about 154 lives, according to a 2022 study. And climate change is supercharging the risk, as shown by an alarming 12-month run of global heat records.

What’s in store for Monmouth and Ocean counties? The forecast calls for temperatures to climb to top 90 degrees from Tuesday through Sunday, peaking at 94 degrees on Friday. But the heat and humidity could combine to make for a heat index above 100 degrees.

The agency said residents should take precautions: drink plenty of fluid, find air conditioning and stay out of the sun.

USA Today contributed to this story.

Michael L. Diamond is a reporter at the Asbury Park Press. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Shore heat wave: excessive heat watch. temperatures set to soar