Carolinas brace for excessive holiday heat wave

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The Carolinas are bracing for multiple days of temperatures above 100 degrees as a ridge of high pressure pushes warm, moist air in from the Gulf of Mexico.

The triple-digit temperatures are rolling in Friday and are not expected to dissipate until Wednesday, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday.

Excessive heat watches and warnings are in effect Friday and Saturday for coastal areas in North and South Carolina, where forecasters warn outside temperatures could feel as high as 118.

To blame is a strong area of high pressure that caused high temperatures over the Central Plains for the past week. It will make a home over the Tennessee Valley and Deep South on Friday, then move over the Southeast.

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Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP