This July Fourth will be a record-setting one for the heat in Charlotte
This Fourth of July is expected to be the hottest on record in Charlotte, reaching 102 degrees with enough humidity to make it feel like 106 or 107.
Read more NC road may be named after ex-lawmaker who made history in Congress for 22 days
That would beat Charlotte’s last record over the last century of 99 degrees in 1993.
We are not alone. A heatwave across the Midwest and the East is putting more than 165 million people at risk for “major” or “extreme” heat-related health issues, according to The Weather Channel.
Intense, high pressure has formed an atmospheric ridge of thick, hot air that is expected to hover over us the next several days, said Mike Rehnberg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Humidity will make the air feel all the more oppressive.
Our bodies are designed to keep cool by sweating and then having the sweat evaporate.
Read more Charlotte City Council gave clerk a $14k raise. Here’s how much she makes now
“That only works if the air is dry enough for your sweat to dry up and evaporate,” Rehnberg said. “So when you get this air that is really, really moist, your sweat can’t evaporate which means that it can’t cool your body off.”
That’s why 102 degrees in a desert climate may feel more bearable than 102 degrees here.
Friday, the temperature is expected to reach 101 but feel like about 107.
Mecklenburg County is also under an air quality alert until 10 p.m. Friday night, with ground-level ozone concentrations approaching or exceeding unhealthy standards.
Read more USC’s recruiting hot streak continues. Gamecocks land four-star NC safety
