FIRST ALERT FORECAST: Hot afternoons continue, poor air quality for some

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Our weekend was a nice one with plenty of sunshine, but it was a hot one as temperatures climbed back into the lower 90′s and once you factored in the humidity it felt more like the triple digits at times. Unfortunately, the pattern doesn’t look to change as we move into the new work week as heat continues to build and that will lead to some of the warmest temperatures we’ve seen this year. You’ll need to stay hydrated with plenty of water as heat exhaustion and heat stroke will be a big factor for those working outdoors.

As you make your way out the door this morning and head to work you’ll definitely notice the heat and humidity as the air feels very thick with dew points sitting in the middle to upper 70′s. There is also some haziness in the air this morning and that is due to poor ozone as well as some dust moving in from Africa and that will lead to some poor air quality for some throughout the day. If you have allergies or asthma you may notice it to be a little harder to breathe at times due to the poor air quality, so keep that in mind when you are working outdoors. For the rest of us it will feel very oppressive as temperatures will climb quickly thanks to plenty of sunshine and that will help us to warm into the lower to middle 90′s for our afternoon highs. Heat index values will once again be a factor as it will feel more like the triple digits at times, so make sure to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated if you plan on working outside for a prolonged period of time as well as keep the sunscreen handy with the UV Index remaining on the higher side.

Moving throughout much of the week ahead the forecast won’t change a whole lot as high pressure is locked in and will keep sunshine on the abundant side with low rain chances in the mix. Much of the week will feature temperatures back into the lower and middle 90′s during the afternoon with heat indices back into the triple digits so you’ll want to limit the amount of time you are working outdoors and keep the water handy. Winds stay out of the south and that will mean we keep the high humidity in place with dew points back into the middle 70′s for the majority of the week. Finally by Friday we may see the area of high pressure relax just enough that a few isolated to scattered storms make their way back into the forecast. At this time that chance remains on the lower side with many of us staying on the drier side of things. We’ll keep an eye on the trends though as things change.

We definitely could use the rainfall though as our drought conditions continue to persist across much of Southwest Louisiana. Looking at the latest model runs our drought situation doesn’t look to improve anytime soon with the lower rain chances in the forecast. Our heat and humidity also looks to stick around for the majority of next weekend and into next week. Taking a quick look at the tropics things are staying on the quiet side with just a low chance of formation in the western Caribbean over the next 5 days. For now the focus remains on staying cool and taking frequent breaks if you plan on being outdoors.

Meteorologist Jacob Durham

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