May Heat Wave: Days of Record Heat for Southeast
May 04, 2012; 5:38 AM
For some residents of the Southeast, the next few days will seem as if though Mother Nature skipped right over spring and flipped the switch for summer.
Unusually warm temperatures, more typical for July, will surge across the region for the second half of this week. For most, this will mean afternoons near 90 and nighttime temperatures more closely resembling normal daytime highs.
The culprit will be a shift of the jet stream well to the north, allowing a warm southerly flow to become established for several days.
Accompanying the heat will be fairly high humidity levels, which will contribute to AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures several degrees above the actual thermometer reading.
For many, it will feel as if it was in the mid-90s each afternoon into the upcoming weekend.
Numerous long-standing daily temperature records, some from the early part of the last century, will also be challenged by the heat. Most of the locations at risk of breaking record highs extend across the upper Tennessee Valley, Appalachians and from upstate South Carolina north to central Virginia.
On Wednesday, more than a dozen record highs fell from Texas to Michigan.
Here is a look at the forecast high temperatures, as well as the records that are in jeopardy on Thursday for a few select cities:
| City | Thursday Forecast (Record) |
|---|---|
| Asheville, N.C. | 83 (85/1965) |
| Charleston, W.Va. | 90 (92/1942) |
| Columbia, S.C. | 90 (95/1959) |
| Greensboro, N.C. | 93 (92/1959) |
| Greenville, S.C. | 89 (91/1959) |
| Lexington, Ky. | 84 (88/1959) |
| Lynchburg, Va. | 90 (91/1938) |
| Raleigh, N.C. | 93 (93/1959) |
| Richmond, Va. | 86 (92/1965) |
| Roanoke, Va. | 89 (93/1959) |
While most southerners are no stranger to heat and humidity, the early season and prolonged nature of this heat wave could catch some off guard.
Be sure to stay well hydrated if you plan on heading outdoors for a prolonged period of time over the next several days.
Senior citizens and those more susceptible to heat exhaustion or illness should be checked on.
While many may have been resisting, air conditioners may have to be turned on for the first time this year as heat will tend to build up in non-ventilated areas indoors.