A couple of showers and thunderstorms will develop and move across the region Wednesday afternoon. Beyond that, a long stretch of mainly dry and hot weather is ahead.

Midweek T-Storms: best rain chance on Wednesday, especially north and east of Baton Rouge

Weekend Sizzle: several highs in the mid-90s possible

Dusty Tropics: Saharan layer stops tropical development, brings colorful sunsets

Tonight & Tomorrow: A muggy night is ahead, and low temperatures will only bottom out in the mid 70s under partly cloudy skies. Wednesday will kick off with plenty of sunshine, sending high temperatures into the low 90s by early afternoon. Late in the day, we will need to keep an eye on the sky. A cluster of thunderstorms will develop northwest of the region and move toward the Metro Area. There is some question as to how far south the storms will survive. At the very least, neighborhoods north and east of Baton Rouge could get clipped, but any location along and north of I-10 should be aware of the potential. Any thunderstorm could produce gusty wind and a quick downpour.  

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Up Next: For the rest of the workweek, rain coverage will dip into the 20% range, meaning only a spotty, pop-up shower will be possible during the afternoons. Most will stay dry. Very hot temperatures will become the main weather story with highs getting well into the 90s and feels-like temperatures eclipsing 100 due to ample humidity. A ridge of high pressure in the atmosphere will tighten its grip on the region this weekend into next week. The ridge overhead results in warm, sinking air that squashes major thunderstorm development and causes warmer temperatures. Afternoons will soar into the mid 90s and combine with typical summer humidity to create a heat index, or feels-like, between 108 and 112 degrees outside. Use those common sense practices to beat the heat—including hydrating more and taking breaks in cooler spots.

The first major Saharan dust plume will track across the Atlantic Basin and could reach the Gulf Coast by next week. This dry air mass acts as a natural shield against tropical development by choking out the moisture that storms need to grow and thrive. Additionally, dust particles create hazy daytime skies before scattering the light rays to produce vivid, fiery-orange sunsets.

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The Tropics: For the North Atlantic, Gulf and Caribbean, all is quiet. No development is expected over the next seven days.

– Josh 

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