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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte set a record high temperature Wednesday, and the heat wave will continue Thursday as schools push back outdoor activities and utility companies near record usage to cool area homes.

The high was 102 degrees Wednesday, breaking the previous record of 100 degrees, set in 1951. And we could break 100 degrees again Thursday, marking the first time since July 2005 that we’ve seen two 100-plus degree days in a row.

Thursday will be another dangerously hot day with afternoon highs near 100. The humidity will make it feel more like 105 degrees, and that's in the shade.

And there is another Code Orange Ozone Action Day for the Charlotte area Thursday. Ozone levels are expected to reach levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The heat wave's impact is being felt across the Carolinas.

Right now, the city of Shelby is asking its neighbors to conserve water. The constant dry, hot weather is damaging the area's crops. The number of people being treated for heat related illnesses is on the rise. And Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools have pushed back the start of football scrimmages to after the heat of the day.

North Carolina's largest electric utilities approached record demand Wednesday as the triple-digit temperatures across the Southeast strained electricity grids.

North Carolina Electric Cooperatives, a network that services 2.5 million customers in mostly rural areas of the state, asked customers to turn off unnecessary electronics and to use electricity and air conditioning sparingly. It expected to break a record set in January 2005.

"With more people and higher heat -- we have the formula for high demand," said Jane Pritchard, speaking for the cooperatives. "We're trying to be prudent."

Progress Energy also expected a record-breaking day for demand and asked its 1.2 million North Carolina customers to reduce consumption to help ease the strain, said company spokeswoman Tanya Evans. The company also turned to several large industrial customers to curtail their use during peak hours. Progress Energy set its previous record in July 2005.

Duke Energy did not ask customers for conservation, but suggested that people monitor their usage. Spokeswoman Paige Sheehan said the company would not know until Thursday if it had hit record usage but said the Charlotte-based utility neared its July 2005 usage record Tuesday.

"We're meeting the power demand, and we've got the adequate supply," Sheehan said. "But any conservation that people can realize certainly betters our situation.

Duke provides service to 1.8 million retail customers in North Carolina and is the largest electricity supplier in North Carolina and South Carolina. Raleigh-based Progress serves a total of 3.1 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

Gov. Mike Easley also sought energy conservation by ordering state agencies to adjust thermostats to between 78 degrees and 80 degrees.

The National Weather Service put more than two-thirds of North Carolina under a heat warning or heat advisory Wednesday, and forecasters expected temperatures to break 100 degrees both Wednesday and Thursday.

The heat index, or how the air feels because of the combination of heat and humidity, was expected to exceed 110 degrees.

All the utilities said they should be able to manage the spike in usage.

(WCNC's Terri Bennett and The Associated Press contributed to this report.)