Soaring temps here to stay through end of work week

A heat advisory for many counties in eastern North Carolina was in effect through 8 p.m. During that time, temperatures sat in the mid- to upper-90s, but coupled with high humidity, the head index felt like 103 - 107 degrees.

"We're used to heat in North Carolina, but there are certain days where it gets to the danger zone," said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. "It looks like that's going to be the case for us all week long."

Evening storms to the north and east of Raleigh have the potential to produce some cloud-to-ground lightning, said WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel. But they could also bring some relief from the scorching heat.

"Whoever gets to see those, of course, may cool down just a little bit," Fishel said. "It's still going to get plenty hot ahead of those thunderstorms. But it's just nice to have that come through and finally cool things off."

The same weather pattern repeats itself on Wednesday, with possible afternoon storms in counties from Raleigh to the north.

"Tomorrow will be another hot day. Maybe not as hot, but temperatures will still climb into the mid-90s," Fishel said.

Temperatures are cranked up across the Triangle, and that means air conditioning units are also on high.

According to Duke Energy Progress, there are several things that can be done to stay cool on a budget.

A big question in the heat - is the power grid at risk of becoming overloaded?

"Duke Energy has plenty of energy to meet our customer's needs," said Meredith Archie, a Duke Energy spokesperson. "Of course, our operations are looking at this 24/7 to see if anything changes, and we plan accordingly."

The last time the grid peaked out was in 2007. At that time, officials said there was a prolonged period of 100 degree days.