Dangerously hot now, a little relief on Thursday

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) –  The heat index is now approaching 120 degrees over parts of the ArkLaTex. A weak cold front is moving through the ArkLaTex on Wednesday and will usher in some cooler and drier air.  Tropical Storm Bertha will soon make landfall over the southeast Louisiana coast. 

Details on Bertha: Tropical Storm Bertha weakened a little on Tuesday night and continues to move slowly toward the west.  We will likely soon see it make landfall ESE of New Orleans.  Most of the stronger winds and heavier rains from Bertha are being blown to the southwest of its center.  This will likely continue and keep the flood-producing rains and damaging winds over the Gulf. 

It still appears that its impacts on the ArkLaTex will be minimal. In fact, the Blend of Models continues to show that most of the area could stay dry during the next seven to ten days.   

Heat relief here at home: Expect a little bit cooler temperatures for the rest of the work week. Overnight lows tonight will fall from the upper 70s to the low 80s to the mid to upper 70s. Daytime highs on Thursday will mainly be in the mid to upper 90s. We will probably see similar temperatures on Friday.  Heat index values for the next few days will probably settle into the range of 100 to 105 degrees.

Long-range temperatures:  Warmer air will begin to return to the area this weekend with highs warming back into the upper 90s.  Overnight lows will warm back into the upper 70s.  More triple-digit heat will be possible by the middle of next week.  Late next week, temperatures will likely ease a few degrees to the mid to upper 90s. Our next best chance of rain will likely not return until next weekend. 

Tune in to my live show, Weather Worries, at 8:30 pm on the KTAL Now app on your smart TV.  You can also see it here.  Tonight I will have the very latest on Bertha and point out any changes in its outlook. I’ll also show you the latest two-week projections on temperatures and rainfall.  If you miss the show live, never fear.  It’s also available on demand in the Weather Authority section of the app. 

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