Heat Index Could Reach 110 Degrees This Weekend
It was a warmer than normal May and June is picking up right where May left off. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the thermostat will be turned up a few degrees this weekend.
“Saturday and Sunday we can expect afternoon temperatures to reach into the mid or upper 90’s, with heat index values ranging from 100 to 110.”
Keim says the only break we’ll get from the heat is an afternoon thunderstorm. For this weekend, rain chances are higher on Sunday than Saturday, especially in south Louisiana. He says last month was one of the hottest May’s on record.
“So at typical May has about six days with temperatures of 90 or above. Well this past May we had 25 days where we were at 90 degrees or above. So if you think it’s been impressive, it really has been.”
Keim says you can blame the heat on a ridge of high pressure that’s allowing the Gulf of Mexico to send warm and humid air into the Bayou State. He says a hot start to the summer doesn’t mean we’ll see above-normal temperatures continue into July and August.
“The hope is that this is just kind of an anomaly that’s sort of playing itself out and we’ll go back to more normal conditions. But you never know every summer’s different.”