LOSC

The heat is on this week. 'Apparent' temperatures will be well over 100 deg F during the heat of each day. Please be careful, stay hydrated, and hopefully it'll be October soon!

Please be mindful of the heat the next several days as the humidity will be high and rain chances will be low which will allow for maximum daytime heating. 'Extreme' impacts from heat are expected well into next week. Stay safe!

With Bertha moving away from Louisiana, the main story now becomes the heat. Rain chances will be below climatological normals and temperatures will be above. Some areas will be approaching 100 deg F this weekend, and that doesn't factor the humidity.

Bertha made landfall near the Biloxi Wildlife Management Area in St. Bernard parish around 2PM with maximum estimated sustained winds of 45 mph. Gustier winds have entered Louisiana and will persist for the coming hours. Most precipitation is over the Gulf waters.

Bertha's satellite presentation continues to degrade with the center now fully exposed. The state is mostly clear of precipitation or even cloud cover at this time. Gusty winds are beginning to move in, which will actually help with today's oppressively hot conditions.

There has been little change in the intensity of or the forecast for T.S. Bertha since this morning. Bertha continues to be a sheared storm and that hostile environment is not expected to change. There is a possibility that Bertha becomes a remnant low before exiting Louisiana.

Bertha has strengthened and estimated max sustained wind is 60 mph. Bertha is encountering shear and most of the convection is displaced south of the center. Bertha is forecast to move along the La coast, but weakening is expected and it may not hold together before exiting La.

The system in the Gulf remains Tropical Depression #2 but will likely become Bertha later today. The system is encountering northerly shear and most of the precipitation is south of the center. At this time, it is expected to move along coastal Louisiana as a tropical storm.

The development chances for the system off the coast of Florida have increased slightly. Some models drift it towards Louisiana the middle of next week, but keep in mind the storm has not fully developed and is expected to move slowly; both of which inhibit track confidence.

While we are watching the northeastern Gulf for possible tropical development, the big story in the short term is heat. As it works this time of year, when rain chances go ⬇️ the heat goes ⬆️. Heat-related impacts are expected to increase each day into the middle of next week.

The new U.S. Drought Monitor depiction was released today and the good news for Louisiana is that almost all drought has been eliminated (<1% coverage)! The last time there was NO drought in Louisiana was August 2025. Conditions look far different than three months ago!

It's been a wet late spring and early summer for the Bayou State. The northwestern part of the state missed out on the big rains in May but got into the act in June. So far July has continued the wet pattern for most of the state.

It's been a wet and cloudy start to the work week. While it helps keep temperatures down, it certainly doesn't help with the early work week blues! There is a 'Marginal' to 'Slight' risk of flooding across Louisiana today but rain chances will lessen as the week progresses.

Happy Monday the 13th! It's going to be a wet start to the week across the Bayou state but eventually rain chances will diminish and the heat will build back into the state.

July 9 was the 44th anniversary of the crash of Pam Am Flight 759 in Kenner. The flight lifted off from New Orleans International Airport only to encounter a microburst which sent the plane plummeting into a Kenner neighborhood, killing all 146 on board and 8 on the ground.

The updated 2026 Atlantic basin hurricane season forecast from CSU calls for 9 named storms, 4 hurricanes, and 1 major hurricane, all lower than the June update. Main factors are predicted 'strong' to 'super' El Nino conditions and corresponding increases in vertical wind shear.

Now that the summer solstice has passed, days are getting shorter. You may not notice it just yet, but you will over the next few weeks. Here in Louisiana, we'll lose about 20 minutes of daylight in July.

The Climate Prediction Center released their outlooks for July and chances are temperatures will be warmer than normal, so keep those air conditioners in good working condition! The precipitation signal isn't quite as certain but leaning towards near or below normal.

The new U.S. Drought Monitor was released this morning and showed continued improvements across northern Louisiana. There is no D3 'Extreme' or D2 'Severe' drought anywhere in the state for the first time since last Christmas!