As rain becomes scarce in the 7-Day forecast, get ready for the return of the summer sizzle heading into the weekend. The Storm Station will also be monitoring a disturbance in the eastern Gulf, which has a low chance of becoming the next tropical depression or storm.

Tonight & Tomorrow: Any afternoon pop-up storms that managed to develop will quickly collapse early this evening. Expect nothing more than a few passing clouds overnight, with wake-up temperatures in the low to mid-70s. Thursday will bring a mostly sunny sky, easily raising highs toward 93° in the Capital Area. The steamy Louisiana humidity will make it feel roughly 10° warmer by mid-afternoon. While a spot shower or thunderstorm can’t be entirely ruled out, don’t count on them. They will be few and far between, dodging many neighborhoods completely.

Up Next: Available moisture in the atmosphere will remain low through the weekend and much of next week. For that reason, afternoon thunderstorms will remain the exception as opposed to the rule. Instead, the heat takes over, with highs in the mid-90s and lows in the mid-70s likely over the next seven days. Factoring in the humidity, the heat index will climb past 100° each afternoon, but may stop just short of the Heat Advisory threshold of 108°. Regardless, remember to drink plenty of water and try to save high-exertion activities for the early morning or evening hours.

The Tropics: The National Hurricane Center recently highlighted two areas to watch across the Atlantic Basin — one closer to home, and another way out at sea.

Northeastern Gulf — An area of low pressure is expected to form during the weekend in the eastern Gulf. Subsequent slow development of this system is possible early next week, provided it stays over open water long enough. As of now, there is a low, 20% chance of tropical development.  This system is likely to remain well east of southeast Louisiana, and it may actually play a role in keeping our local weather dry. Meanwhile, widespread heavy rain is expected across the eastern Gulf and parts of Florida through the weekend and into next week. The next name up is Bertha.

Eastern Tropical Atlantic — Showers and thunderstorms associated with a tropical wave southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands have become a little better organized during the last 24 hours. Some additional slow development is possible over the next couple of days as the system generally migrates west. Toward the weekend, the system will enter a more hostile environment. Tropical development odds are placed at 10% as of now.

Get the latest 7-day forecast and real-time weather updates HERE.

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— Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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