Weather Blog

Dave Nussbaum
dnussbaum@wbrz.com

Short Term:  It is a very warm and muggy morning across the Baton Rouge area on this Monday.  Skies are mostly clear and the temperatures are in the lower to mid 70s.  The dew points are in the lower 70s, and that is what is making it muggy. 

This afternoon will be another hazy, hot and humid day.  There could be a few pop-up afternoon showers and thunderstorms, but not too many.  Only about 10% of the area will actually see one.  Otherwise, expect mostly sunny skies with high temperatures in the lower 90s.  The Heat Index today will be between 95 and 100.  If you are going to be outside for a long period of time be sure to drink plenty of water and wear that sunscreen!

Tonight will be warm and muggy under mostly clear skies.  Low temperatures will be in the lower 70s. 

Week Ahead:  The weather will be very persistent this week.  That means we will not have much of a change each day in the forecast.  With that in mind you can expect each day to be partly cloudy, hot and humid.  There will be a chance for some pop-up afternoon storms everyday, but only about 10-20% of the viewing area will actually see them.  High temperatures will be in the lower 90s and lows in the lower 70s. 

The next best chance for any rain will occur Friday, Saturday and Sunday as a disturbance moves by.  However, the rain chances still remain very low for only 20% of the area.  This is due to an increase in moisture across the area from the Gulf of Mexico. 

Tropics:  Over the weekend we had our first named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, Tropical Storm Arthur.  Arthur came from the remnants of a Pacific storm, Alma.  Arthur did not last long as it formed off the coast of Belize, and moved inland.  It was pretty weak with winds around 45 mph. 

Presently, the tropics remain quiet, and tropical storm formation is not expected through Tuesday. 

The forecasts for this Hurricane Season call for an above normal season with 12-16 Named Storms, 6-9 Hurricanes, and 2-5 Major Hurricanes. 

Bookmark these useful weather links to use during Hurricane Season:

• NHC
• WBRZ Tropical Weather
• NWS Slidell

Mississippi River Levels:  The Mississippi River continues to fall slowly. Click here for the latest on the Flood Warnings.  Here are the latest stages as of this morning:

• Baton Rouge:  32.9 feet.  Flood Stage is at 35 feet.  The river has fallen below flood stage.  
• Red River Landing:  49.8 feet.  Flood Stage is at 48 feet.  A river flood warning remains in effect! 

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Remember you can always get the latest forecast and radar information on Cox Cable channel 18 or Digital Cable channel 125, on www.2theadvocate.com/weather, or by calling the Weather 2 forecast line at (225) 336-2375.