Triangle under Code Orange air alert as scorching weather moves in

WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said the alert means people with respiratory issues should take it easy.

"That means it's unhealthy for sensitive groups," she said. "People with asthma or other breathing issues or the young or elderly don't need to over do it outside this afternoon."

There was a minimal chance -- just 20 percent -- of rain on Friday, when the mercury is expected to rise to the mid-90s, Gardner said. The lows will to the 70s before rebounding to the 90s again on Saturday, she said.

The 90-degree days will start on Friday and are expected to stretch into Wednesday, if not beyond, Gardner said.

"This will be the longest stretch of 90s we've seen all year," she said. "We'll see 90s all next week."

With the temperatures being so high, parents taking their children to playgrounds over the summer should remember to keep their kids hydrated and cool because the metal surfaces can be very hot.

"You've got to seek out some shade," Chad Holmes, a father at Pullen Park, said Friday. "Just let them run and make sure they got some water."

Blame the hot weather on a high-pressure system sitting off the coast of North Carolina that is blocking rain and cooler weather from moving into the region, Gardner said.