The dog days of summer are barking at the door. Meteorologists forecast a dangerous heat wave next week that could culminate in a sizzling Fourth of July.
The National Weather Service predicts extreme highs Sunday through Wednesday, with heat indices rising above 100 degrees. For central and eastern North Carolina, it may start even sooner, with highs in the mid- to upper 90s on Saturday.
Heat danger accumulates over time, especially if overnight temperatures remain elevated. Nightly lows are expected to creep up as the week goes on.
The risk of extreme heat in North Carolina on the Fourth of July is moderate to high, and climate change is putting its finger on the scale. Research group Climate Central said there are 10 more dangerous hot-and-humid days in Charlotte than there were 50 years ago, on average.
“When dangerous heat and humidity combine and reach a certain threshold, your body can’t sweat efficiently enough to cool you down. That’s when things get dangerous for your health,” said Shel Winkley, chief meteorologist for Climate Central.
Globally, these conditions occur more than twice as often as they did 50 years ago, during the 1970s.
