The Baton Rouge Area will feel some intense late-summer heat through the weekend and well into next week. Daytime highs will peak in the upper 90s and heat index values will soar into the 105 – 110 range.

A Heat Advisory will be in effect across all of southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi from 11 AM to 8 PM on Friday. If you work outdoors or have weekend outdoor plans, you will need to take frequent shaded breaks, drink plenty of water, and stay alert for signs of heat exhaustion. Be sure to check in on friends, neighbors, and relatives, and always know the warning signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke so you can act quickly if needed.

The next few weeks will bring the hottest conditions so far this year, and it is important to remember that heat has a cumulative effect on the body. Heat is the leading weather killer in the United States on a 10 and 30 year basis. There have been 11 heat deaths in Louisiana already this year.

Big Heat: a long run of hot temperatures and high humidity

Rain Lacking: flash drought may develop

The Tropics: tracking two disturbances

Tonight & Tomorrow: A quiet, muggy night is ahead across the Baton Rouge Area. Low temperatures will only drop into the mid-70s. Skies will stay mainly clear. On Friday, plenty of sunshine will drive high temperatures into the upper 90s. It is not out of the question that one or two spots reach the century mark.

Up Next: As we head into the weekend and early next week, the heat impacts will grow due to the cumulative strain of repetitive heat and a slow rise in humidity. Highs will hover between 97 and 98 degrees through Wednesday, but higher humidity will drive the heat index, or feels-like temperature, closer to 110 degrees.

With soil moisture drying up over consecutive hot days, the ground will reflect heat straight back into the air, keeping daytime temperatures uncomfortably hot. While a minor atmospheric ripple will allow a stray splash-and-dash afternoon shower to develop here or there, daily rain coverage should not exceed 20%, and even that could be generously high. The hot and dry conditions could lead to the development of a flash drought.

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The Tropics: The National Hurricane Center has officially issued its final advisory on Post-Tropical Cyclone Cristobal. However, there are still two tropical waves to monitor in the Atlantic Basin.

The first system, located roughly 1,000 miles east of the Lesser Antilles, is losing organization and lacks a defined center. As it tracks west into unfavorable dry air and strong upper-level winds, its chances for development will continue to drop, at a 60% chance over the next seven days as of Thursday afternoon.

Farther east, a second tropical wave southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands is producing disorganized storm activity. Environmental conditions ahead of it look generally favorable for gradual growth, giving it a 50% chance of becoming a tropical depression as it drifts west-northwest across the tropical Atlantic over the next week.

There are currently no tropical systems threatening the Gulf Coast. The Storm Station team will continue to monitor the Atlantic and bring you daily updates throughout the week.

– Josh 

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