Next week will be drier and hotter

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Today’s forecast: The noticeably drier weather that began on Sunday will continue today and into the coming week.

Partly cloudy skies are expected today with a 30% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms. As the chance of rain decreases, temperatures will rise, reaching highs in the 90s to 100s. Heat index readings will likely be in the 40s to 110s for most, so be cautious in the heat.

Heat worries return

Drier weather in late July or early August usually means more heat, and this week will be no exception. Highs will be between 35 and 40 degrees all week, with heat index readings flirting with heat warning criteria daily, so if you work outdoors or have to be outside for long periods of time, take the heat threat seriously. Rain won’t help much, as rain chances are generally around 20 to 30%.

Expanded outlook

The first weekend of August will remain very hot, although there are signs that the chance of rain may increase somewhat. I estimate a 40-50% chance from Saturday through early next week, with highs generally around 35 degrees.

Rainfall

The next seven days are expected to become significantly drier. The Weather Forecast Center is showing average precipitation totals of 0.5 inches or less for most of our region.

Tropical Update

The National Hurricane Center continues to monitor an area of ​​disturbed weather over the central Atlantic this morning. The chance of development is at 50%, according to the 1 a.m. Monday update. The system should move generally west-northwest over the next few days, with conditions becoming somewhat more favorable for development toward the end of the week. It will most likely be somewhere near the Bahamas by that time, but there remains considerable uncertainty about where it may move from there and whether it will develop at all. Our local concern level is currently low, and we will continue to monitor its development over the coming days.

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