How hot was it? Well, that depended on what you were doing. The temperature of the hot asphalt being poured on some city streets Friday reached 251 degrees, which, of course, made the about 100-degree temperatures feel that much hotter to the paving crew. (Ledger photo / TIM GULLA) Following days in which the mercury soared to near 100 degrees, Upstate residents will likely take any relief they can get, even if that means temperatures hovering around the 90- degree mark.

Daytime highs neared record levels earlier this week, causing local municipalities to become virtual “ghost towns” as almost all outdoor activities were moved inside.

“We were quite close to breaking a record Wednesday but just missed out by a degree or two,” said National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Doug Outlaw. “Thursday’s forecast had high temperatures of 101 degrees, which if correct, would match a record set in 1986.”

It was unknown at press time whether a new record had been established.

A large upper level ridge of air with a high pressure system in tow is the reason for the sweltering heat, pushing temperatures to miserable levels.

Prior to arriving in the Carolinas and the rest of the Southeast, residents of cities like New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., melted in the wake of temperatures as high as 101 degrees.

Relief — if that is what you want to call it — is on the way, however.

The upper level ridge keeping the region dry and draped under a blanket of unrelenting heat will give way to a trough currently making its way through the Mississippi Valley, bringing in a cold front that will slightly cool temperatures down.

“This upper level trough will move in during the weekend and will stall in the area of Interstate 20, bringing with it a much-needed cold front,” Outlaw said. “Do not expect a significant cooldown though; temperatures are expected to hover around the 90- degree mark for some time.”

Meteorologists with the NWS have predicted a high temperature of 92 degrees for Saturday, with the thermometer moving up a notch to 93 degrees Sunday.

According to Outlaw, the normal temperature at this time of year for the Upstate is around 89 degrees.

The recent heat wave comes on the heels of the second warmest June on record for the Upstate, with temperatures averaging near 81 degrees, the NWS said. Only June of 1952 was warmer, with temperatures ranging above 82 degrees.

While the heat may have caught some by surprise, Duke Energy was ready, doing its best to provide little to no interruptions for its 600,000 customers in the Upstate.

“Obviously, power demand is high, but our system was built and reinforced for times like this and up to this point we have been able to meet customers’ needs without much trouble,” said Duke Energy spokesperson Paige Sheehan. “We run this business expecting hot stretches like this, so that when customers flip the switch in their households they will not be disappointed.”

According to the energy provider, the use of air conditioning units during summer typically accounts for up to 60 percent of a customer’s utility bill.

Staying cool may be one thing, but the recent hot weather has also put the region into a dry spell, forcing state climatologists to categorize a large portion of the state as “abnormally dry,” the lowest level of drought.

“We have to get some rain in because we are definitely a bit dry,” Outlaw said. “Over the past few weeks we have been experiencing a minimal amount of rainfall countered by high evaporation rates caused by scorching hot temperatures.”

Currently, area rivers, lakes and reservoirs contain a good capacity of water.

The best chance for rain according to NWS meteorologists, will be Tuesday, when a front moves into the area bringing significant cloud cover and lowering temperatures to those closer to the norm for this time of year.