As west winds pick up steam in the coming day to day and a half, our temperatures will begin to warm into the 80s and near 90 degrees by Thursday.

Tuesday’s warm weather is region-wide into Burlington, Vermont, and western Massachusetts. Expect highs in the mid-70s there and through MetroWest. Downtown Boston and coastal areas through the North Shore will likely only hit the low 70s due to an east wind that sets up. This will still be a seasonable and sunny day.

Wednesday’s warmth will be he hottest we’ve seen since last summer. Coastal communities will likely be in the mid-80s, with inland locations at or above 90 degrees.

It’s important that outdoor workers and even those participating in physical activity outside stay hydrated. This time of year, you should also not leave pets in cars unattended. Temperatures are exponentially higher inside a car, than they are outside.

Overnight temperatures don’t cool off, so heat exhaustion can quickly settle in, without the assistance of A/C.

Thursday will bring in the peak of the heat with afternoon temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s.

There will also be an opportunity for thunderstorms, though they seem restricted throughout northern New England and the Champlain Valley, dissipating as the sun sets.

The status of Al Horford is one of several big questions the Celtics front office will face this offseason. The veteran big man signaled back in March that he planned on playing another next season in Boston. However, an early second-round exit to the Knicks combined with Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear had him hedging on those plans last month.

“Yeah, I’m just not ready to talk about that right now,” Horford said in May. “I just need some time with my wife and my family, and that’s what I plan on doing these next few weeks.”

Horford will be an unrestricted free agent after playing his last four seasons in Boston following the Celtics acquiring him from the Thunder in 2021. At 38 years old, it remains to be seen whether he’d be willing to play for a team that may not be a serious contender in Boston next season with Tatum sidelined. That uncertainty may open the door for opportunity for one of Boston’s rivals as Tim Bontemps suggested on ESPN’s Hoop Collective.

“Al Horford is a free agent,” Bontemps said. “I don’t think at this point it makes a lot of sense for Horford to be back in Boston. Maybe he will be, but given where things are with the Celtics, I think he’s now much more in play than he might have been a month ago. Al Horford is a longtime friend of Karl-Anthony Towns and has played with him with the Dominican National team for a long time.”

“If (the Knicks) go get Al Horford this summer, who I think (Al) would be an unbelievable fit on this Knicks roster and they go get another perimeter player to deepen their rotation. That’s a much better team and a team that could beat the Pacers next year. That’s a team that’ll be in the mix in the East.”

The Knicks are currently already have salary committed beyond the first apron for next season so they wouldn’t be able to offer anything beyond the taxpayer midlevel exception for next season. However, the Knicks’ need for another versatile big is evident given Towns’ defensive woes and the injury issues Mitchell Robinson has faced for the next two years.

If the Celtics avoid a bigger reset next season to the roster, the guess here is the team will still pitch Horford on returning for the next couple years in hopes they can make another deep playoff run once Tatum returns. However, if Horford is focused on having a better chance to win next season above all else if he continues playing, the Knicks are among several teams that will be worth watching on the free agency market.