Summer heat coming back for late week forecast

The summer heat is returning late this week.

Thursday and Friday will breach into the upper 80s and lower 90s with no rain in the forecast.

WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said the drought is likely to grow because the air is dry and pulling moisture out of the ground. There is a small chance for rain on Sunday and Monday.

• Thursday: Sunny and hotter. Highs in the upper 80s.
• Friday: Partly cloudy and hot. Highs in the low 90s.
• Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 95 degrees.

Sinking air beneath high pressure not only keeps us dry, but it will eventually lead to hotter weather later in the week.

Thursday temperatures start to warm up. We’ll see highs in the mid to upper 80s, but dew points will stay in the 40s.

If you plan on heading to the Canes game on Thursday, temperatures won’t be as comfortable as Tuesday night’s game. If you plan on tailgating, highs will be in the upper 80s by 4 p.m.

The weekend will see highs climb into the 90s as an upper-level ridge builds over the region.  

"It is going to be a hot weekend, 90s, Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Gardner said. "We're dry most of the weekend, but we'll see a front late Sunday into Monday that could bring a few storms."

Our lone shot of rain is a brief one, thanks to a backdoor front that comes through Sunday night into Monday. 

Monday was the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs until November 30. Nothing is currently forecast by the National Hurricane Center. 

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

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

The Atlantic is quiet now, but the Pacific already has it's first named storm, Amanda, of the season. As of Wednesday, it doesn't look to impact land and should remain a tropical storm. 

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. 

This spring remains the driest start to the season on record.

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."

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.

• Thursday: Sunny and warmer. It's still comfortable with low humidity. Highs in the mid to upper 80s.
• Friday: Getting hotter. Highs in the lower 90s.
• Saturday: Partly cloudy and hotter. Highs jump to the low to mid 90s.
• Sunday: Spotty storms. Highs in the low to mid 90s.
• Monday: Tracking the chance for showers and storms. Highs in the upper 80s.
• Tuesday: Mostly sunny, cooler and less humid. Highs in the lower-mid 80s.
• Wednesday: Mostly sunny with highs in the upper 80s.