There's summer heat, and there's intense summer heat. As of July 22, we've seen a lot of both.
There have been 45 days at or above 90 degrees in the Triangle. Twenty-five of those days have reached or gone above 95 degrees. Six days have featured 100-degree heat.
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This kind of heat can put added stress on your car windshield, especially if you're blasting the A/C right off the bat.
According to Safelite, most car windshields are comprised of two layers of glass joined together by an interior layer of plastic.
Obviously, that outer layer of glass is going to heat more, as it's facing direct sunlight.
When you get a cooling rain on that hot windshield, this drives a larger temperature difference. That leads to uneven expansion of the glass which creates tension, and it can lead to cracks to develop.
That's even if you haven't had any object impact the glass.
It's best to try and avoid parking in direct sunlight. It's also another reason why you should avoid washing the car with super cold water on these really hot days.
If you have remote start, make sure that your A/C isn't on full blast right away. If you're like me and don't have that feature, it's best to leave the A/C off full blast when you get into the car. (I know...it's tempting.)
Fortunately, the intense heat takes a backseat in the days ahead. A frontal system brings in much-needed rain, but it also leads to a string of cooler days.
We haven't seen a stretch like this in more than two months.
For updates on the forecast, check back in with us any time here.