The Baton Rouge area has been upgraded to an Excessive Heat Warning.

THE FORECAST

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Today & Tonight: East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, St. James, Ascension, Livingston, and southern Tangipahoa Parishes have all been upgraded to an Excessive Heat Warning until 7 p.m. for the heat index exceeding 113°. A Heat Advisory will be active from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today for all other parishes. The heat index will be between 108-112° for the Parishes in the Heat Advisory. Avoid being outside in the afternoon if you can. If you need to be outside today, take good care of yourself and drink lots of water. Temperatures tonight will not offer much relief, in the mid-70s.

Sun and Heat Safety: Some friendly reminders —sunburn can occur in less than 15 minutes with the extreme U.V. Index typical of this time of year. In addition to that, heat exhaustion and heat stroke can set in just as quickly. Seek medical attention if you or somebody you know is affected. While we all enjoy a list of cool beverages, be sure water is at least a part of that list! Finally, look before you lock. DO NOT leave people or pets in an unattended car.

Up Next: Saturday is set to be a near perfect repeat of Friday. Air temperatures will be near 100° with the heat index in excess of 113°. The Excessive Heat Warning will likely be reissued. Rain will be tough to come by. A stray shower will be possible on Saturday, but the chances are much better on Sunday. Sunday will be the transition day away from the excessive heat. Temperatures will still be in the upper 90s, but a few extra showers will help keep the heat index down. Rain coverage will jump up early next week. The temperatures will be capped in the low 90s early next week. Click here to see the 7-day forecast.  

Use the WBRZ WX App to keep tabs on the “feels like” temperatures. Hour-by-hour weather tracking is available for your location on the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and Twitter for even more weather updates and unique weather insight from the whole team!

In the Tropics

A disturbance in the Atlantic is going to travel west into the Caribbean but is unlikely to enter the Gulf. At this time, it is not expected to impact the local forecast.

Tropical Atlantic: A tropical wave located over the eastern tropical Atlantic continues to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for development over the next few days, and a tropical depression could form by early next week as this system moves westward at around 15 to 20 mph over the tropical Atlantic.

* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...medium...50 percent.