It’s been a hot summer in the Triad. By the end of August, the Piedmont has typically seen about 37 days of temperatures at ninety degrees or above. This year, that number is 48.
National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Kren says the current forecast will likely add to that total. A ridge of high pressure over the Tennessee Valley will spread eastward, pushing daytime temperatures in the Triad into the mid-90s for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, but he says some relief may be the way, at least in the short term.
"We get a front that approaches Friday, Saturday," says Kren. "That will increase our rain chances. That should cool us off the latter part of the holiday weekend. But that relief might be short-lived. It could be a resurgence of that heat sometime next week, as well."
Kren says the record for total number of days in the Piedmont above 90 degrees was set back in 1914 at 82. He adds that while surpassing that number this year is highly unlikely, he’s not ruling anything out.