Triangle set new high temperature record Wednesday and could do it again Thursday

The Triangle on Wednesday shattered a longstanding high temperature record, and the mercury is expected to set a new benchmark Thursday as well.

WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said the temperature topped out at 98 degrees, easily surpassing the record of 91 degrees that was set in 1986.

"This is historic," she said. "We shattered the record."

Thursday’s high temperature is expected to reach the upper 90s, which, if it does, would surpass the record high of 91 degrees that was set in 2002. The normal high for early October is 77 degrees.

"It is hot and it will be humid," Campbell said.

The good news is that a cold front expected to arrive sometime Friday will bring cooling relief.

"Friday is our transition day," Campbell said, adding that the front is not expected to bring much rain when it arrives.

The heat index is expected to peak Wednesday at 98 degrees in Raleigh and 95 degrees in Durham around 5 p.m.

Dew points will stay in the mid-to-upper 60s, preventing the heat index from getting worse.

“It’s going to keep us below the danger zone,” Gardner said.

A high-pressure system to the west of the Triangle is keeping the intense heat in the area. It will gradually move east, though, allowing a cold front to move in. Relief is just behind that front, Gardner said.

Friday’s high will drop to 88 degrees, and Saturday’s high will plunge to 73 degrees.

Temperatures will creep back into the 80s on Monday.

Workers at Page Farms in Raleigh say the heat has made it harder to grow pumpkins. Making sure crops stay healthy has been the top priority by giving them plenty of water.