Austin Wright waters a green at the Lawrence Country Club Wednesday. Staff has been watering the golf course in short bursts to keep the grass moist during hot weather.

Danny Easum wipes his brow in front of a fan at Ace Brake and Steering, 541 Minnesota, on Wednesday, August 11, 2010.

By 7 p.m. the temperature in Lawrence had dropped below the triple-digit mark, but earlier in the day the mercury was as high as it’s been all year.

The temperature in Lawrence hit the 100-degree mark just before noon Thursday, eventually hitting the 103 mark, making this the fifth straight day of triple-digit heat in the city.

For seven days this August, Lawrence temperatures have surpassed 100 degrees.

Temperatures are not expected to cool down until late Friday or early Saturday, and an excessive heat warning remains in effect until 8 p.m. Friday.

Wednesday’s high was 103 degrees, according to 6News Chief Meteorologist Matt Elwell, which made it the hottest day of 2010 thus far. Thursday’s high exceeded that mark, with the temperature topping out at 104 degrees. The last time it was 104 degrees or hotter in Lawrence was August 14, 2007. Since Aug. 1, Lawrence has had seven days when the temperature eclipsed 100 degrees — and daytime highs haven’t dropped below 90.

Wednesday evening’s storm cooled off the city temporarily, but won’t make much of a long-term impact.

“Think of it like a bathtub full of hot water,” said state climatologist Mary Knapp. “If you pour a glass of cold water in there, it will be cool in one spot for a minute and then it will mix with the hot water.”

Other than knock out power to residents, all Wednesday’s storm did was raise the humidity level. So the heat index Thursday night was actually worse because of the rain.

Knapp also said the dew point is a critical factor in heat waves such as this. She said temperatures in western Kansas have reached as high as 110 degrees. But that area of the state isn’t under excessive heat warnings because of lower dew points in that region.

This year’s weather pattern is similar to one in 2000, when June was mild but July, August and September were brutal. That year, temperatures didn’t cool down in late August like normal but stayed extra toasty through September.