The upper-level high pressure ridge parked over North Texas is likely to stick around for another week, vaulting 2006 into one of the most sweltering years on record.

Friday should be among the hottest days of the year so far with a predicted high of 106, leading the National Weather Service to issue another heat advisory, meteorologist Dan Dixon said. Dallas-Fort Worth may well remain at or above the century mark for another seven days.

"It's not to say on one of those days next week it could top out at 98 or 99," Mr. Dixon said. "It might be a few degrees cooler, but we'll still be close."

If Friday's high reaches three-digits as expected, it will be the 34 ^th time this year, tying 1943 and 1934 for 10th on the list of most 100-degree days in Dallas-Fort Worth. And the forecast promises to push 2006 even farther up the list:

• Two more days will tie ninth place. In 1978, 36 were recorded.

• Four more will days tie eighth place. In 1963, 38 days were recorded.

• And if the temperature stays at 100 or above through Thursday, it will tie 1951 for seventh place with a total of 40 days.

The hottest summers on record for Texas were in 1980 and 1998, when temperatures averaged 84.3 degrees for June, July and August. Most North Texans remember 1980 as particularly brutal: it reached 100 degrees or higher a whopping 69 times, including a record 113 degrees on June 26 and 27.

Meanwhile, North Texas' largest electricity provider said an ongoing heat wave is pushing its generating, transmission and delivery abilities to the breaking point.

With TXU power plants already running full throttle, the utility's systems are nearing a point where it can't ensure reliable delivery of electric power. TXU is urging consumers to help by setting thermostats higher. The utility also recommends using fluorescent lights, turning off unused computers and upgrading to energy-efficient appliances.

Rolling blackouts are possible if there are any disruptions, TXU Energy spokesman Chris Schein said.

"Something people forget is that you can't make extra power and store it in a warehouse for later," he said. "We are making it at the time it’s demanded."

Mr. Dixon of the NWS said the ridge sitting above the region eventually could get shunted off to the west, allowing cool air to move in from the north, but that isn't likely until the end of next week, nor does it guarantee that extreme heat won’t return as August segues into September.

NWS records show the temperature has hit as high as 111 degrees in early September.

"Once you get stuck in a pattern like this, it's really tough to break it," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.