Hot, hot, hot weekend on the way

The forecast high for Saturday and Sunday is in the mid-90s – already above normal for the third week in August – and high pressure and humidity will push the heat index past the 100-degree mark.

The dangerous heat will be limited, though, not sticking around enough to prompt a heat advisory, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

While the summer of 2016 has not been among the hotter ones on record, the humidity has kept it uncomfortable for days on end.

Data from the state climate office show the average summer dew point at 68.7 degrees, with peaks even into the 80s.

"It hasn't been a hot summer in the sense that we haven't hit 100 degrees, but the dew points have just been outrageous," Fishel said.

Summer 2016 ranks among the top 8 percent of most humid summers since the 1940s, the data shows.

High pressure off the coast will keep any relief-bringing rain at bay through the weekend, although there is a slim chance for afternoon showers.

"The emphasis here is on 'slim,'" Fishel said.

The same weather pattern of high sun, some clouds and warm, muggy days continues into the work week.