BOSTON -- Sweltering heat has broken records at two locations and forced several school districts in Massachusetts to send their students home early.
An excessive heat watch was posted by the National Weather Service on Tuesday for a large portion of the state. By afternoon, temperatures soared to 94 degrees in Worcester and 98 at the Blue Hills Observatory in Milton, breaking June 10 records set in 1984.
The weather service recorded 101 degrees at its office in Taunton, tying reports for August days in 2001 and 2006. It's the earliest 100-degree reading since October 1996, when the weather service began keeping records at Taunton.
The mercury also had hit 98 degrees in Fitchburg and 96 in Chicopee.
All 8,000 students in Taunton were dismissed early, as were Fall River's elementary and middle school students, who don't have air conditioning in their classes. School was optional in Arlington.
An approaching front triggered severe thunderstorms from west to east across the state Tuesday night and early Wednesday. Cooler, drier air is expected the rest of the week.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
Dramatic rescue on MBTA orange line Cars collide; 1 into Peabody business building Hundreds line up for H1N1 vaccine in Wellesley Fire tears through old Lawrence mill Charlestown residents trying to silence historic U.S.S. Constitution New Hampshire police seize 322,000 prescription pills
