Heat building....

As we enjoyed very nice weather over the Fourth of July weekend, locations to our north were really baking in the heat. Now the pattern is shifting a bit, allowing that heat to settle in here from the north.

Look for continued sunshine today with highs in the mid 90s. One bright spot is that again today, humidity levels will be on the low side.

The airmass is stagnant, and the air quality continues to deteriorate. Today is a Code Red air quality day for the Charlotte region with a Code Orange forecast for the Triad and Triangle areas.

Tomorrow will be the hottest day of the week, and in many spots, the year thus far. Highs will surge into the upper 90s to near 100 degrees across the Piedmont, and air quality will remain a problem.

Out in the Atlantic Ocean, there is an upper level low that is slowly backing westward. That low will get close enough to the region to bring the chance of a few showers and storms later Thursday and Friday. Look for mid 90s Thursday and lower 90s Friday.

A cold front will approach Saturday and bring some showers and storms. The front then stalls out nearby, bringing fairly muggy conditions and the daily chance of some scattered storms into near week.