Josh Classen's forecast: Near 30 C today, with a cooldown coming soon

Peak of heat over, but still hot CTV Edmonton's Cory Edel has your Thursday forecast.

The peak of the heat wave is behind us, but it's still going to be hot today.

Temperatures hit 36.2 C in Edmonton on Wednesday. That was the third consecutive day of record heat in the city and tied for the fourth-hottest temperature ever recorded in Edmonton. (Records going back to late 1800s.)

Today's hit will be up around 30 C. That's well short of the July 11 record high of 34.0 C from 2002. But, it's a handful of degrees above average.

The cooling trend will continue in the coming days. We're still in the mid to upper 20s Friday afternoon.

Then...low to mid 20s for Saturday/Sunday as some precipitation is now looking more likely for the weekend.

I don't think it's going to rain non-stop both days. In fact, there's a chance we don't even end up with any really significant amounts of moisture.

BUT...there's a good chance for some showers Saturday morning and then a lower chance for a shower or thunderstorm early Saturday evening.

Sunday also has a chance of showers, especially in the morning (although...the timing and confidence in that Sunday precipitation outlook is fairly low).

Thunderstorms will be a big issue across central and southern Alberta late this afternoon and tonight.

It looks like most of those storms will pass south of the Edmonton area and the risk for severe storms is mostly in areas from Red Deer south.

But, there's a decent chance of seeing a few thunderstorms near or over the Edmonton area in the 5-9 p.m. window.

Smoke outlook:

Wildfire smoke continues to be an issue across northern Alberta. The latest model output has that smoke staying well to the north of the Edmonton region at least through the end of Saturday.

That said, Environment and Climate Change Canada is noting some new wildfires in central B.C. that the models may not be factoring in yet.

Bottom line: I don't think smoke will be an issue for the Edmonton region today, Friday or Saturday.

Beyond Saturday...we'll have to see how the wind patterns shape up.

Here's the forecast for Edmonton and area:

Today - Sunny this morning. A few clouds this afternoon.

40% chance of a thunderstorm late this afternoon.

RECORD: 34.0 -2002

High: 30

Tonight - 60% chance of an evening thunderstorm. A few clouds overnight.

9pm: 26

Friday - Mainly sunny.

Morning Low: 16

Afternoon High: 27

Slight risk of a shower or thunderstorm overnight.

Saturday - 60% chance of showers in the morning, Sunny breaks in the afternoon.

30% chance of a late-day thunderstorm.

Morning Low: 15

Afternoon High: 23

Sunday - Mostly cloudy. 40% chance of showers, especially in the morning.

Morning Low: 14

Afternoon High: 23

Monday - Mainly sunny

Morning Low: 12

Afternoon High: 28

Tuesday - Mainly sunny

Morning Low: 16

Afternoon High: 30