Triangle to get brief break from heat, humidity Wednesday

After dealing with intense heat-fueled thunderstorms the last two days, the Triangle will get a break from severe weather on Wednesday thanks to cooler temperatures and lower humidity, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

Posted 11:06 a.m. Jul 25, 2012 — Updated 6:56 p.m. Jul 25, 2012

RALEIGH, N.C. — After dealing with intense heat-fueled thunderstorms the last two days, the Triangle will get a break from severe weather on Wednesday thanks to cooler temperatures and lower humidity, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

Storms could still form in central and eastern North Carolina during the afternoon as a disturbance moves in from the north and west, but they won't be as widespread or as damaging as the storms that knocked out power and downed trees across the Triangle late Tuesday.

"We've continued to see these disturbances form in Canada and then swoop down through Illinois, Indiana and West Virginia," Gardner said. "That will happen again Wednesday, but things aren't looking as impressive. Our rain chances top out around 20 percent this afternoon."

Temperatures will taper as well, topping out in the low 90s by mid-afternoon.

The more comfortable air will quickly disappear by Thursday, however, as near-record highs will return to close out the work week. High temperatures will top out around 100 degrees both Thursday and Friday, some 10 degrees warmer than late-July averages.

Sweltering humidity will also return, making the temperatures feel more like 105 to 100 degrees.

"The heat index is going to be a big deal as we head toward the end of the work week," Gardner said. "We could see heat advisories and conditions that will make it dangerous to be outside for extended periods of time."

Temperatures will slowly fall back into the low-to mid-90s over the weekend.

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