Louisiana’s July Outlook – More Heat and a Tropical Threat

Louisiana is set for its annual summertime swoon as far as Mother Nature is concerned. 'Tis the time of year when homeowners will furiously be watering lawns, gardens, and yards, early in the morning only to seem the inundated with water from an afternoon thunderstorm a few hours later. Then there's the heat, which when combined with the humidity would make the Devil pray for an air conditioner.

Oh, and then there's the matter of that large body of sun-warmed tropical water called the Gulf of Mexico and the potential for devastating storms that can develop almost overnight. Depending on which long-range weather forecast you look at, all of these things heat, heavy downpours, long dry-spells, and a  tropical threat are all included for the month of July.

The tropical threat comes from our friends at the Old Famer's Almanac. According to their weather guessers the Gulf South, namely Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama could experience a tropical weather system or its effects between July 23rd and July 25th.

The reason I mention this is because that publication has an uncanny ability to get long-range weather forecasts right. In this case, I hope they are wrong, but I wanted you to be aware.

An organization whose forecasts are perceived to be steeped in more science than conjecture, the National Weather Service, says July in Louisiana should be "typical". The long-range forecast from the Climate Prediction Center suggests that our temperatures in July have a better than average chance to be above normal.

The CPC says the outlook for rainfall over the area during the next 30 to 60 days is calling for normal precipitation amounts. Which for July is anywhere from 4.5 inches to 6.5 inches. Summer, by the way, is the dries season for South  Louisiana. Of course, those rainfall totals and averages will go out the window if the Old Farmer's Almanac prediction of a tropical threat comes to fruition.