600  
FXUS62 KRAH 021903 CCA  
AFDRAH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC  
300 PM EDT THU JUL 2 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
* HEAT ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF CENTRAL NC FOR FRIDAY.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
AS OF 300 PM THURSDAY...  
 
1) HEAT ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT TODAY AND FRIDAY. DANGEROUS HEAT  
WILL PERSIST ACROSS CENTRAL NC THROUGH AT LEAST THE WEEKEND AND INTO  
MONDAY.  
 
2) MOSTLY DRY THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WITH BETTER RAIN CHANCES  
RETURNING TO START THE WORK WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
AS OF 300 PM THURSDAY...  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...HEAT ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT TODAY AND FRIDAY.  
DANGEROUS HEAT WILL PERSIST ACROSS CENTRAL NC THROUGH AT LEAST THE  
WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY.  
 
THE PROLONGED PERIOD OF DANGEROUS HEAT HAS BEGUN AND WILL CONTINUE  
THROUGH AT LEAST EARLY NEXT WEEK. A STRONG SUBTROPICAL RIDGE  
REMAINS CENTERED ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST WILL REMAIN THE DOMINANT  
SYNOPTIC FEATURE THROUGH THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT  
WEEK. AFTERNOON HIGHS A FEW DEG EITHER SIDE OF 100 ARE EXPECTED  
THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY, BEFORE HIGHS FALL BACK TO THE LOWER TO MID  
90S BY TUESDAY. WITH DWPTS GENERALLY IN THE LOWER 70S, AFTERNOON  
HEAT INDICES WILL RANGE FROM 103-108 ALSO THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY.  
BY LATE MONDAY, WE EXPECT AN INCREASE IN BOTH CLOUDS AND RAIN  
CHANCES, ALONG WITH A BACKDOOR FRONT THAT MAY PUSH THROUGH THE AREA  
BY LATE TUESDAY OR EARLY WEDNESDAY, WHICH WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO FALL  
CLOSER TO CLIMO READINGS BY MID-WEEK. GIVEN THE AFOREMENTIONED, A  
HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM TODAY FOR AREAS ALONG AND  
WEST OF THE I-95 CORRIDOR...AND A NEW HEAT ADVISORY HAS RECENTLY  
BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF CENTRAL NC FOR FRIDAY FROM NOON UNTIL 8 PM.  
 
OTHER HEAT-RELATED POINTS:  
 
- OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL GENERALLY REMAIN IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S,  
PROVIDING LIMITED NOCTURNAL RECOVERY, ALLOWING CUMULATIVE HEAT  
STRESS TO INCREASE AS THE EVENT PROGRESSES.  
 
- THE GREATEST CONCERN CONTINUES TO BE THE PROLONGED DURATION OF THE  
HEAT RATHER THAN ANY SINGLE EXCEPTIONALLY HOT DAY. CONSECUTIVE DAYS  
OF EXCESSIVE HEAT AND WARM NIGHTS COMPOUND IMPACTS.  
 
- THE EXPERIMENTAL NWS HEAT RISK PRODUCT INDICATES MAJOR HEAT RISK  
ACROSS MUCH OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH FRIDAY, WITH EXTREME  
HEAT RISK POSSIBLE BY SATURDAY AND LINGERING INTO MONDAY.  
(WPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/HEATRISK)  
 
- WHILE ISOLATED AFTERNOON CONVECTION (PARTICULARLY FROM SUNDAY ON)  
MAY PROVIDE LOCALIZED AND TEMPORARY RELIEF, COVERAGE APPEARS  
INSUFFICIENT TO SIGNIFICANTLY MITIGATE THE OVERALL HEAT HAZARD.  
 
- ADDITIONAL HEAT ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED ON MULTIPLE DAYS,  
AND PORTIONS OF THE AREA COULD APPROACH EXTREME HEAT WARNING  
CRITERIA SHOULD TEMPERATURES TREND A DEGREE OR TWO WARMER OR  
HUMIDITY REMAIN HIGHER THAN CURRENTLY FORECAST.  
 
- FINALLY, THE HIGHEST RISK WILL BE FOR THOSE WITHOUT EFFECTIVE  
COOLING, INDIVIDUALS WORKING OR RECREATING OUTDOORS, AND OTHER HEAT-  
SENSITIVE POPULATIONS AS THE PROLONGED STRETCH OF ABOVE-NORMAL  
TEMPERATURES CONTINUES INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2... MOSTLY DRY THROUGH THE WEEKEND, WITH BETTER RAIN  
CHANCES RETURNING TO START THE WORK WEEK.  
 
AS THE DEEP HIGH PRESSURE HOLDS OVER THE MID-ATLANTIC, RAIN CHANCES  
SHOULD REMAIN RELATIVELY LOW THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE BEST CHANCE OF  
A SHOWER OR STORM THIS WEEKEND WILL BE IN THE NORTHWEST OFF OF THE  
PIEDMONT TROUGH, HOWEVER IF A SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM IS ABLE TO FORM  
THIS WEEKEND, IT WILL BE VERY ISOLATED AND BRIEF IN NATURE. THE  
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SHOULD START TO BREAK DOWN LATE WEEKEND, ALLOWING  
RAIN CHANCES TO INCREASE STARTING ON SUNDAY. HOWEVER, SUNDAY'S RAIN  
CHANCES LOOK TO BE DECREASING, WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN NEAR  
THE NC/VA BORDER DUE TO THE BEST SHORTWAVE FORCING BEING LOCATED IN  
VIRGINIA. AS THE HIGH WEAKENS FURTHER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WORK  
WEEK, A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION TUESDAY INTO  
WEDNESDAY AND MAY STALL OVER CENTRAL NC. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR  
INCREASED RAIN CHANCES MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY, MAINLY IN THE  
AFTERNOONS WITH DIURNAL HEATING. HOWEVER, ENSEMBLE DATA IS STILL  
SUGGESTING GENERALLY LESS THAN 0.25 INCH OF RAIN EACH DAY.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /18Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
AS OF 300 PM THURSDAY...  
 
TAF PERIOD: HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD KEEP VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE  
NEXT 24 HOURS. LIGHT WIND SHOULD HAVE A SOUTHERLY COMPONENT  
THROUGHOUT.  
 
OUTLOOK: THE FORECAST CALLS FOR DRY VFR CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE  
THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATING THE  
SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. BY SATURDAY NIGHT, THE SURFACE HIGH WILL  
BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN, AND THIS COULD ALLOW FOR ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS  
ON SUNDAY AND GREATER COVERAGE ON MONDAY. ANYWHERE THAT  
PRECIPITATION DOES OCCUR, THERE WILL BE HIGHER CHANCES FOR  
FOG/STRATUS RESTRICTIONS THE FOLLOWING MORNING.  
 

 
   
CLIMATE
 
 
ALL-TIME HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD AND MOST RECENT DATE OF  
OCCURRENCE:  
 
KGSO: 104/1914-07-27  
KRDU: 106/2024-07-05  
KFAY: 110/1983-08-21  
 
RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES:  
 
JULY 3: KGSO: 98/1911 KRDU: 101/2012 KFAY: 102/2019  
JULY 4: KGSO: 98/1970 KRDU: 101/TWICE KFAY: 98/2019  
JULY 5: KGSO: 98/2012 KRDU: 106/2024 KFAY: 101/TWICE  
JULY 6: KGSO: 100/1977 KRDU: 102/1999 KFAY: 100/2024  
 
ALL-TIME HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD AND MOST RECENT DATE  
OF OCCURRENCE:  
 
KGSO: 80/2007-08-09  
KRDU: 80/2025-07-18  
KFAY: 84/1928-06-22  
 
RECORD HIGH MINIMUM TEMPERATURES:  
 
JULY 3: KGSO: 76/2018 KRDU: 79/2023 KFAY: 76/2023  
JULY 4: KGSO: 73/2018 KRDU: 79/1902 KFAY: 78/1913  
JULY 5: KGSO: 74/1999 KRDU: 78/2024 KFAY: 77/2005  
JULY 6: KGSO: 76/1999 KRDU: 79/1900 KFAY: 77/2024  
 

 
   
RAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR NCZ007>011-  
021>027-038>041-073>076-083-084.  
HEAT ADVISORY FROM NOON TO 8 PM EDT FRIDAY FOR NCZ007>011-  
021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...NP/LH  
AVIATION...GREEN  
CLIMATE...RAH  
 
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