Wednesday morning video forecast
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What is left of Alberto will continue pulling away to the north and do little more than trigger an isolated shower or thunderstorm along the central Gulf Coast. As has been an ongoing story this May, heat will grab our attention in the coming days.
THE FORECAST:
Today and Tonight: Like Tuesday, Wednesday will begin with a very muggy feel and abundant sunshine. By afternoon, clouds will bubble up as temperatures top out at 92 degrees shortly after lunchtime. An isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible. As elevated humidity continues, nighttime lows will only fall back to 74 degrees under mostly clear skies.
Up Next: Rain chances will slowly diminish over the next several days with very little activity left around Thursday through Saturday. Temperatures will continue to warm as this drier trend emerges. High pressure will build to the west in Texas and infiltrate east into Louisiana and Mississippi by Thursday. Warming high temperatures are expected through the mid and possibly upper 90s this weekend. In addition to this, high dew points will result in feels-like temperatures between 100-105 degrees and the National Weather Service may need to post the first heat bulletins of the season.
Some friendly reminders for your summer of fun events—sunburn can occur in less than 15 minutes with the extreme U.V. Index typical of this time of year. In addition to that, the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke can set in just as quickly. Recognize the signs and symptoms displayed in this graphic. 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.
THE EXPLANATION:
The remnant low pressure that was Subtropical Storm Alberto will still have a small influence on the local weather through Wednesday. Isolated showers and thunderstorms will develop in response to daytime heating and the broad circulation around the storm. Coverage of showers and thunderstorms will diminish by Thursday as a ridge builds across the region in the upper levels leading to subsidence and therefore warming, drying conditions. This will mean high temperatures can climb into the mid 90s and will work with the high dew points transported poleward by Alberto to produce very uncomfortable feels-like temperatures. By Saturday and Sunday, highs will even climb into the mid and upper 90s, possibly prompting the need for heat alerts. Forecast models are hinting at a weakening ridge and Southeast U.S. 500mb trough and subsequent weak cold front for late weekend and early next week. This feature would increase rain chances and knock the heat back a few pegs. Such a change after very high heat would mean a collision of air masses that could result in some stronger thunderstorms. We’ll keep an eye on that for the Sunday/Monday timeframe.
--Dr. Josh
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