Heat today could match or break a record in Philly

After the wet and chilly start to spring, no complaining will be allowed.

Whether running, rowing or chilling Kelly Drive was alive in Fairmount Park Tuesday the first day of May, 2018.Read moreDAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer

Published May 2, 2018, 7:30 a.m. ET

The high temperature for Philadelphia Wednesday could match or break a record set seven years ago, when the mercury topped out at 89.

The forecast calls for a high of 88, expected around 4 p.m. But that is not written in stone and the temperature could go higher. The normal high for a May 2 is 68 degrees.

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For anyone thinking about going to the Shore on such a beautiful day, the high there is expected to be 80 degrees, with winds from the southwest at 7 to 14 mph. The water, however, will be cold, with ocean temperatures in the 50s.

In the meantime, two advisories have been issued for the Philadelphia region.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission has issued a code orange air quality alert for the metropolitan area. The alert means that air pollution concentrations could be unhealthy for sensitive groups, including children, people suffering from asthma, heart disease or lung diseases and the elderly.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for Eastern Pennsylvania and all of New Jersey. The warning means that a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels are creating a heightened threat of wild fires.

Looking to Thursday, the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with a high around 90 degrees, which would tie a record set in 2001.