Share
The Charlotte area broke back into triple digits Thursday and is looking at more 100-degree weather over the next two days.
The increasing heat on Thursday was accompanied by severe weather, as thunderstorms brought heavy rain, wind and hail to parts of the Charlotte area.
Most of the region was under a thunderstorm warning or watch Thursday afternoon and evening.
In Burke County, at least one person was injured after being struck by lightning, reported WCNC-TV, the Observer’s news partner.
There also were a number of damage reports at midday Thursday from storms in West Virginia and western Virginia.
The storms came as temperatures in Charlotte reached 100 degrees on Thursday.
National Weather Service forecasters say afternoon highs will be near the century mark again Friday and Saturday, before a change in the weather pattern takes place. That change might lower the high temperatures into the upper 80s by the middle of next week.
After tying the city’s all-time heat record of 104 degrees last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, temperatures relaxed a bit, with highs in the low 90s Monday and the mid-90s Tuesday and Wednesday.
Now, forecasters say, high pressure will strengthen over the region again for a few days.
The heat index – a combination of temperature and humidity readings that attempt to measure how hot it feels – is forecast to climb to near 105 degrees on Friday, which is the official heat advisory level.
But Saturday could be the worst day of the weekend, with a forecast high of 99 and heat indices expected to reach or top 105. The date’s temperature record, 100 degrees, was set in 1993. Saturday is expected to be dry in nearly all areas.
The high-pressure system is forecast to weaken by Sunday, with highs once again in the middle 90s. Staff writer April Bethea contributed.
