NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – The heat is back, and it is not playing around. Sunshine is taking over across southeast Louisiana this weekend as the region transitions away from the soggy, unsettled weather left behind by Tropical Storm Bertha. The atmosphere is running unusually dry for late July, and that combination of limited moisture and a building upper-level ridge is shutting down any meaningful storm chances. A very isolated shower cannot be completely ruled out, but most of us will stay dry. Highs are climbing into the mid-90s inland and the lower to middle 90s near the coast and tidal lakes, with heat index values approaching 105 degrees in spots where boundary-layer moisture is highest. Stay hydrated, limit your time outdoors during the hottest part of the afternoon, and keep that in mind heading into the weekend.
Saturday and Sunday are where this heat pattern really starts to flex. Rain chances drop to around 10 percent or less both days, with only a rogue late-afternoon shower possible along a sea breeze. A surface high settling across the northern Gulf Coast will push a light west to northwest low-level flow across the region, allowing temperatures to surge quickly each morning before any marine influence can move inland. Highs climb into the middle and upper 90s Saturday, then push closer to the upper 90s Sunday as the upper ridge nudges a little farther east. If dewpoints hold in the middle to upper 70s during peak heating, heat index values will rise considerably, and Sunday looks like the first day of this stretch that will likely need a Heat Advisory across a large portion of the area…