On Wednesday, a HEAT ADVISORY will be in effect for the entire WBRZ Weather Forecast Area (except St. Mary Parish) from 10am to 7pm. Expect the feels-like temperatures to range from 108 to 112 degrees during the hottest part of the day. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances. Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency!

Next 24 Hours: Pop-up showers and thunderstorms will fall apart quickly into the evening hours. With dew point temperatures well back into the mid 70s (a lot of humidity), low temperatures will stay in the mid 70s. Plenty of early sunshine will heat the area up in no time on Wednesday with high temperatures heading for the upper 90s. A few spots could stop a degree or two shy with stray showers and thunderstorms popping from the mid-afternoon onward. Most locations will miss rain, however.      

Up Next: Hot temperatures will stick around all week long. With mostly sunny skies right into the afternoon, highs will top out between 97 – 100 degrees. In fact, 100 degrees is explicitly forecast for Friday and Saturday. Humidity will gradually increase through the week causing feels-like temperatures, or heat indices, to climb back to 108 degrees or higher, warranting additional heat advisories. Nights will not offer much relief with low temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. Any given afternoon, there may be a stray shower or thunderstorm, but widespread activity is unlikely.  CLICK HERE for your detailed 7-Day Forecast.

The Tropics: For the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, there are no areas actively being monitored. No tropical development is expected over the next five days.  

The Explanation: The center of our stubborn, heat inducing upper level ridge of high pressure will shift slightly westward on Wednesday and Thursday. Subsidence created by the ridge will be substantial enough to keep convection to a minimum with rain coverage of 20 percent or less. In addition to that, a slight bump in high temperatures and dew points in the mid 70s will result in heat indices reaching the advisory criteria of 108 degrees. The ridge will broaden and center over the region Friday and Saturday creating the hottest temperatures of this stretch and maybe the hottest temperatures in a few years. The heat will persist until the ridge is suppressed somewhat by an upper level trough passing to our north Sunday and into next week. At that point, there will be enough buoyancy in the atmosphere for at least isolated showers and thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon. Remember, it is still summer so even with some cooling afternoon rain, high temperatures will crank into the low to mid 90s before that happens. The heat just shouldn't last as deep into the day in many spots.   

--Josh

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