New Orleans residents should prepare for a week punctuated by heat and the familiar rumble of thunderstorms, which have become almost as much a part of the local landscape as the music that fills the city’s air. The National Weather Service in New Orleans predicts a series of balmy days ahead, with heat indexes reaching into the low hundreds and chances for rain that could offer a reprieve, however brief, from the sweltering heat. Today's forecast suggests a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 pm, with mostly sunny conditions but heat indexes potentially soaring as high as 105 degrees, according to the NWS New Orleans.
With the humidity holding steadfast at 80 percent, the balmy air threatens to once again wrap around the city like a heavy blanket. The north wind will shift east later in the afternoon, doing little to ease the heat. As night falls, the chance for thunderstorms will decrease to a scant 10 percent before 7 pm, and conditions will become partly cloudy with lows dropping around a still-warm 80 degrees. Movement in the wind will settle down, leaving residents with a calm evening.
Those hoping for cooler temperatures on Tuesday may have to wait a bit longer. A repeated forecast has been set with a slight chance of showers in the morning followed by a potential spike in thunderstorm activity after 10 am. The high is expected to be near 92 degrees, but the omnipresent heat index is likely to make it feel closer to oppressive levels of 105 degrees. The NWS New Orleans reiterates a constant north-eastern wind at around 5 mph.
Wednesday's weather pattern doesn't deviate much, featuring sunny skies and a high near 93 degrees. The chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms once again surfaces, set at 30 percent likelihood after 4 pm. Residents hoping to catch a breeze may be disappointed as the north wind, intent on maintaining the status quo, will shift east in the afternoon. The evening offers a small respite with a 30 percent chance of rain, and the low around a sultry 79 degrees.
Looking towards the end of the week, Thursday's prospects are not much cooler, with a higher 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms stirring after 1 pm. The pattern of sunny mornings and stormy afternoons is a refrain throughout the forecast, culminating in a likely crescendo of Friday showers and thunderstorms after 1 pm. Temperatures will hover around the 90-degree mark, which means residents can expect to keep their umbrellas at hand as they navigate the city's climate duet of sun and storms.
