Wednesday, June 27, 2012 11:40 am

Triple digit temperatures beginning Thursday, and continuing through the weekend, and no significant rain in sight, are in the forecast.

A rapid warm up is forecast for the latter half of the week. A large dome of high pressure is forecast to build eastward out of the plains, across the Tennessee Valley, and putting middle Tennessee into the pressure cooker.

High temperatures west of the Cumberland Plateau... including the Nashville area... will warm from the mid 90s on Wednesday to between 101 and 103 degrees by Friday afternoon. Meanwhile, high temperatures
along the Cumberland Plateau will climb from the upper 80s Wednesday  to the middle 90s by Friday afternoon.

Triple digit temperatures expected late this week will be near the record. The high atNashville on Thursday is expected to be 100 degrees which is just 4 degrees short of the record of 104 degrees set back in 1952. This will be the first triple digit heat inNashville since August 3rd of last year when the temperature hit 102 degrees.

Friday and Saturday a high of 102 degrees is forecast which will be near the record high of 103 degrees on Friday set back in 1952... however the record high for Saturday June 30th is 106 degrees set also in 1952. The 106 degrees on June 30th 1952 is the hottest temperature ever recorded in the month of June. Triple digit heat will continue on Sunday July 1st but back off a little from triple digits Monday and Tuesday.

Even folks along the normally cooler Cumberland Plateau will not escape the heat this week. The high at Crossville on Friday is expected to hit 95 degrees... which... if it occurs... would break the old record for that date... of 92 degrees... set back in 1988.

Hot weather safety will be very important this week. Avoid long term exposure to the heat... by remaining indoors during the hottest part of the day. If you have to be outside in the heat... slow down... drink plenty of non alcoholic fluids... and wear light weight... loose fitting clothes.

Rainfall across middleTennessee continues well below normal with many areas now in a moderate to severe drought. Farmers and Gardners are in much need of rain. Area lakes are below normal levels. The driest areas have been across northwest middleTennessee and in the southeast. Theres no significant rain in sight through July 4th.