A stout ridge will develop over the Southeast next week and it will likely persist through the 4th of July weekend. Around WNC, we will likely see temperatures several afternoons reach into the low 90’s, but locations outside of the mountain and slightly farther east could push into triple digits. Below you can see the most recent European model for Tuesday afternoon. It shows 90 degrees at the Asheville Airport and nearly 100 in Charlotte.
How Long Will The Heat Wave Last?
It appears that this could be another extended heat wave where we remain relatively dry. This is good news for farmers who are wanting to get hay on the ground, because chances for rainfall over the next week will dramatically decrease compared to this past week. Isolated storms of course cannot be ruled out, so please be mindful. As you can see below on the temperature projections for Asheville from the most recent GFS, it is going to be hot!! I don’t think that 95 degrees is reasonable, but a 92 or 93 degree day could be possible mid next week.
Will The Tropics Get Active
It doesn’t appear so. At the moment there are large amounts of Saharan dust being pushed out to sea off the African Coast by strong winds, and that will hinder any tropical development for the short term. As this dust pushes towards the US, it will also hinder any development closer to the lower 48. Many experts are projecting a very slow start to the hurricane season, but coastal areas should not let their guard down. Hurricane season persists through November so we have a long way to go.