(Radio Iowa) – Record-breaking heat is possible in many Iowa cities today (Tuesday) as forecasters say high temperatures may hit the mid-to-upper 90s on this next-to-last day of summer. Meteorologist Jeff Zogg, at the National Weather Service, says it’ll be a steamy one. “We’re expecting some pretty hot and humid conditions, basically one day of it,” Zogg says, “ahead of a cold front that’s going to be coming through the area with high temperatures expected in the middle 90s with heat index values at least in the middle 90s as well.”

Zogg says the heat wave will be short-lived and this will be one of “those” weeks in Iowa where most of us use both the air conditioner and the furnace. “Wednesday will be a lot cooler with high temperatures in the upper 60s to lower 70s and even cooler on Thursday with high temperatures in the middle 60s,” Zogg says. “Those cool temperatures will continue through the end of the work week. Saturday, we’ll see a warm-up with high temperatures in the lower to middle 70s.”

The first day of fall is Thursday and the arrival of cooler weather should be right on schedule. On Friday, some northern Iowa cities may not even see a high of 60. As for today’s heat, many Iowa communities could see high temps never before seen on this date. “We could see record or at least near-record high temperatures, maybe some records in a few places, just depending on how high the temperatures get,” Zogg says.

The forecast high for Des Moines calls for 96-degrees this afternoon, which would shatter the record of 92 that was set in 1931.