As Portage County and other parts of the Midwest recover from storm warnings, a heat wave is expected to hit the region starting on June 21.

The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat watch for northern Ohio, which will take effect on Sunday, and it will monitor the incoming higher temperatures.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Gaircukas expects temperatures to range from 90 to 95 degrees from Sunday through Tuesday.

Gaircukas said Wednesday and Thursday will gradually cool down with temperatures setting between the upper 80s and the low 90s.

These rising temperatures come from a heat wave that developed in the central and southern plains, passing through the eastern central United States.

He added that typical late June temperatures are around 15 degrees less than this year’s anticipated ones, compared to past heat waves in Portage’s history, these temperatures will come close to record ones.

In the State of Ohio Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Plan 2023 report, the state was estimated as having a 65% chance of experiencing a heat wave annually.

Portage County saw around a 24% chance of annual frequency of experiencing heat waves.

“However, we do occasionally see heat waves like this in June that last for about any where two to four days,” Gaircukas said. “We actually had one last year that was around the same week. We had a five-day period where temperatures were ranging between the low and mid-90s.”

Gaircukas said the only difference between 2024’s and 2025’s heat waves is the humidity levels, which can make the outside weather feel hotter than its recorded air temperature.

“The combination of those temperatures between 90 and 95 and the high humidity will make the heat index … that will be over 100 at times,” Gaircukas said.

He attributed the high humidity to the amount of rain the region has seen, and said it “can elevate the humidity a little bit with this upcoming heat wave.”

RainDrop, a weather app that tracks regional rainfall, reported Kent seeing a little over four inches of rain in the month of June so far.

Gaircukas reported that the high humidity is expected to settle around Wednesday.

“The main [weather] message is very hot and humid through most of next week, but the worst of it is Sunday through Tuesday,” Gaircukas said.

In the same 2023 report conducted by the state, Ohio saw 102 heat-related deaths in a span of six years, according to numbers provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Both Gaircukas and the National Weather Service said that nighttime temperatures during the heat wave won’t provide much relief, falling to about 75 degrees.

When nighttime temperatures aren’t much cooler than daytime ones, that’s when health-related issues occur, Gaircukas said.

Cleveland Clinic outlined four health-related issues to look out for during heat waves, which are: heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Portage County Health District advises Portage residents to visit 211Portage, a 24-hour information hotline for Portage County, for cooling-related services, including cooling centers listings.

To further avoid health problems due to high temperatures, Gaircukas advises limiting time spent outside and going to air-conditioned places to cool off.

For those who need to be outside, he suggests wearing light colored and loose-fitting clothing, taking breaks and drinking lots of water.

“Water is the key,” Gaircukas said. “You want to make sure you aren’t drinking carbonated or alcoholic beverages, those can actually dehydrate you faster. You want to drink something more water-based.”

Nikki Gasiewski is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].