It's gonna be firecracker hot to Independence Day, and beyond

If you think later on today the heat and humidity appears unusually uncomfortable, well, get used to it.

Rochester and the Northern Seacoast is in for a prolonged and dangerous heat wave that will tax the power grid and could last well into next week.

Highs today will flirt with the 90s by midafternoon with real feel temps in the mid-90s, but it only gets worse on Saturday, when temps are in the lows 90s and real feel closer to 100.

*** SEE HOW TO STAY SAFE DURING THE HEAT WAVE IN LIFESTYLES ***

With little or no wind and no rain relief, there will be scant respite from the blistering heat.

And nighttime will provide no safe haven; lows don't get much below 70 for several days.

On Tuesday, when Rochester will have its free Night Before the Fourth festival and fireworks show at the Community Center, the heat wave will be at its most intense with a high well into the 90s and real feel near again hovering around 100.

Whether this will go down as a legitimate "heat wave," which in technical terms refers to a three-day period with daily highs above 90 degrees, is a moot point.

What makes this particular heat wave so dangerous is its length, a 10-day stretch with little respite from intense heat, humidity and expected poor daytime air quality, especially near urban areas and interstate highways.

This story will be updated as we gather more information regarding what could be one of the region's most significant heat waves in decades.

(Accuweather material was used in this report.)