Wednesday and Thursday are WRAL Weather Alert Days due to the combination of intense heat and potentially strong storms.
This begs the question: "How many 100-degree days wind up coinciding with severe storms?"
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100 degrees and severe thunderstorms
I looked back at the last decade of data, since local storm reports don't go back several decades. (This does not include 2025.)
In the last decade, there have been 20 days of triple-digit heat in the Triangle.
Of those 20 days, eight resulted in measurable rain. Of those eight days, five resulted in severe storms.
We were able to tally the severe storm reports by accessing the Storm Prediction Center's Local Storm Reports archive.
Over the course of those five severe weather days, there were a total of 70 storm reports. Sixty-seven of those were from damaging wind gusts. Three were large hail reports. None were tornado reports.
Why do wind gusts dominate the storm reports on these days?
The fact that more than 95% of severe weather reports were in the form of wind damage is not surprising.
When the air is so hot in the lowest levels of the atmosphere, there is significant melting. This prevents us from seeing large, damaging hailstones.
This hot air rises very quickly, meaning that storms develop quickly as well. Sometimes, you'll go from a bright, sunny day to an intense thunderstorm within a matter of minutes. That makes it very challenging for the National Weather Service to issue warnings with significant lead time.
Moisture loads in these storms very quickly, and it rushes down to the surface in the form of a downburst/microburst.
These microbursts can cause significant damage across a small space.
That's part of why most of our area Wednesday is under a Level 2 risk out of 5 for severe storms, meaning that severe weather will be scattered in the 23 counties we cover.
What to do if you lose power in the middle of a heat wave
If you lose power during these hot days, it's best to use battery-powered fans and cooling cloths.
If temperatures drop enough at night, you can leave the windows open to allow the hotter indoor air to escape. Closing blinds, curtains and drapes also helps.
There aren't many homes in our area that have basements. If you do have one, however, try spending as much time down there.
If a severe thunderstorm warning is issued for your location, you'll know seconds after the fact by downloading our free WRAL Weather app.
It's how I was first notified of the heat advisory issued for Thursday.
Have questions about the weather and how it works?
Send me an email with the subject line 'Ask the Meteorologist:' to cmichaels@pugongyingbo.com.