Greensboro, NC -- The official start to summer is Wednesday and some of the hottest air of the year so far will arrive in the Triad to mark the occasion.
Until Tuesday afternoon the hottest day of the year was May 31st with a high temperature of 90 degrees. The high temperature Tuesday was 91 degrees.
A ridge of high pressure, which has been sitting to the west for the last couple of days, will slide to the east and pump unseasonably warm air into the Triad for the rest of the week. The normal high temperature for mid-late June is 86 degrees, but temperatures over the next few days will be considerably warmer.
Wednesday afternoon temperatures are expected to soar into the lower 90s with somewhat elevated humidity levels. The combination of the heat of the day with the humidity will send heat index values into the upper 90s to near 100 degrees.
Thursday will be almost an exact repeat of Wednesday with high temperatures possibly even a degree or two warmer. Heat Index Values once again will be between 95-100 degrees.
In addition to scorching temperatures, air quality is expected to be especially poor on Thursday.
While much of the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic will endure lower 90 degree temperatures, locations from the Ohio Valley to the Lower Mississippi Valley will have to contend with Heat Index Values in the 100-105 degree range.
This early summer heat-wave will last through the rest of the week with only a small chance of relief from rain on Friday and Saturday. Temperatures next week, while slightly cooler, will still be roughly 3-5 degrees above normal.