If you’ve stepped outside today, you already know the story: the dry, blazing heat is back. After a short stretch of tropical moisture gave us a bit of rain relief, clear skies across Greater New Orleans are pushing our temperatures right back into the mid-to-upper 90s.
Unfortunately, this is just the warmup. A massive ridge of high pressure building in from the West is heading straight for us, bringing a severe heat wave to Southeast Louisiana through next week.
While actual air temperatures will hover in the mid-to-upper 90s, the humidity is going to make it feel much worse. Starting this weekend, we’ll see heat index values between 102 and 106 degrees. By Monday and Tuesday, heat indices will easily pass 110 degrees, and by Wednesday, peak heat values could reach a staggering 115 degrees.
A lot of this comes down to the increased humidity kicking in Sunday and really ramping up by midweek. That moisture is what creates such a massive gap between the actual air temperature and what it actually feels like on your skin every afternoon.
Looking at the National Weather Service heat risk map, a major chunk of our region—stretching across Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas—is shaded in major to extreme heat risks, peaking between Monday and Wednesday.
We’re also eyeing daily record highs. Out at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, forecast highs of 97 to 98 degrees early next week will put us right on the doorstep of breaking local records.
And if you’re hoping for rain to cool things down, I don’t have the best news. Rain chances stay capped at a slim 10% through Tuesday, before slightly ticking up to 20% on Wednesday and 30% on Thursday.
With dangerous heat setting in for the long haul, please take care of yourselves. If you have to work or spend time outdoors, stay hydrated, take frequent breaks in the air conditioning, and try to avoid strenuous activity during the hottest parts of the day,.
READ MORE:Louisiana’s Heat Wave: Scorching Heat returns to the weather forecast next week
