Record heat next week

Record-shattering heat is on the way next week as an unusually strong heat dome parks itself over the Carolinas. This will lead to hot and sunny days for much of the week ahead. Before we get to the record-breaking stuff, let’s discuss the rest of your weekend. Lows tonight will be cool, falling into the mid 50s for most in the Piedmont. Tomorrow will once again be sunny with highs soaring into the mid 80s.

By next week, things will really crank up as our first 90 degree day looks likely by the middle of the week. We only climb from there as highs could reach as high as the mid 90s for some by next weekend! This will shatter daily records likely from Wednesday onward. I will add that this April heat wave has the potential to even extend past the 7-day mark.

The other side to this coin is the lack of rain that this heat dome will provide. In fact, it will act much like a force field, helping to prevent storms to our west from reaching us. This is bad news as we are already deep in a drought across the area. This will only worsen in the week ahead. The wildfire threat will also stay elevated as low humidity dominates. This will also likely impact the beginning of planting season as a lack of rainfall will put added stress on plants. To put it in Carolinian terms, we are one me-maw lighting a cigarette away from a big fire problem. So DON’T BURN!!!

Saturday Night: Clear. Low: 56° Wind: Calm

Sunday: Sunny. High: 85°. Wind: E 5

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy. Low: 59°. Wind: S 5-10

Monday: Partly cloudy. High: 83°. Wind: SW 5-10