North Carolina sizzles: Near-record heat and extreme drought gripping the Triangle

More heat is in store Monday and will last throughout this week.

On Monday afternoon, a weak front will bring a chance of storms to our counties south and west of the Triangle. High temps will reach the mid 90s.

Tuesday is drier and slightly cooler with a high near 90 degrees. Later this week, we could see dangerous heat again and a chance of storms each afternoon starting Wednesday.

• Monday: It's a hot day again. Highs in the mid-90s. Some isolated showers and storms.
• Tuesday: Slightly cooler but still hot with extra clouds. Highs in the low 90s.
• Wednesday: Highs in the mid 90s. A mix of clouds and sunshine.

If you're going to a Stanley Cup Final watch party to support the Hurricanes on Tuesday, it will still be pretty warm, with temperatures in the 80s by puck drop on Tuesday.

As the upper-level ridge strengthens throughout the week. As the upper-level ridge strengthens throughout the week, highs will climb into the upper 90s-100 by Friday.

Near-record heat returns Thursday and Friday afternoons ahead of another cold front.

"Near-record heat is back in the mix by Thursday and Friday ahead of a front that produces scattered storms," WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels said. "I would imagine that - with that level of heat - any storms could become strong."

The next shot of scattered showers and storms likely doesn't come until next Friday. This is when another front tries to collapse onto our building heat. 

June 1 was the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. 

tThe Atlantic basin is quiet so far/

WRAL is forecasting near-to-below-average activity in the Atlantic Basin this season. Keep in mind that it doesn't mean we're completely void of storms. 

WATCH: We discuss the reasoning behind that forecast in this special report.

While recent rains have eased the drought a bit, especially in the south-central part of the state, the Triangle is still about 10 to 14 inches behind normal rainfall this year.

There's been no rain at Raleigh Durham International Airport since May 25.

Much of western and central North Carolina is in an extreme drought -- the highest level, according to the latest drought monitor.

"The drought is still likely to persist into the summer months," WRAL meteorologist Chris Michaels said. "We need a ton of rain to get rid of it -- it's going to take months."

According to the Palmer Drought Severity Index, this is the worst drought our area has seen since March of 2008.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is an aggregation of measurements including precipitation, soil moisture, evaporation, temperature and reservoir levels that classifies conditions at six levels:

• None: Normal conditions
• Abnormally dry
• Moderate drought
• Severe drought
• Extreme drought
• Exceptional drought

In an extreme drought, major crop and pasture losses are expected, reservoirs and wells are at very low levels and many municipalities limit water use.

• Tuesday: Mostly cloudy and less humid. Highs in the low 90s.
• Wednesday: Highs in the low to mid 90s. A mix of clouds and sun.
• Thursday: Isolated storms possible. It's hotter with highs in the mid to upper 90s.
• Friday: Scattered storms possible. Highs in the upper 90s.
• Saturday: Highs hot in the low to mid 90s. Some scattered rain and storms possible.
• Sunday: A touch cooler with highs in the low 90s. More scattered showers and storms.
• Monday: Partly cloudy with highs in the low 90s. A slight chance of storms in the evening.