New Orleans woke Monday to clear skies, temperatures around 82°F and the kind of humidity that makes the morning feel heavier than the forecast sounds. A few showers and thunderstorms could interrupt the mostly sunny day, but the bigger story is a stretch of rising heat that will become harder to ignore later this week.
Temperatures should climb through the 80s before reaching near 91°F, while the heat index may touch 105°F in isolated spots. The National Weather Service puts the rain chance at about 50%, with storms most likely developing after 9 a.m. and favoring the midday and early-afternoon hours.
Brief Storms Could Bring Heavy Rain
The rain will be hit-or-miss, meaning one neighborhood could get a downpour while another stays dry under the same broad cloud cover. Any storm that forms may produce brief heavy rain, lightning and a few stronger wind gusts, with most new rainfall expected to remain below a tenth of an inch.
Storm chances should ease after sunset as skies turn mostly clear. Winds will remain light at 0 to 5 mph from the southeast during the day, so there will not be much of a breeze to take the edge off the heat between passing showers.
Heat Takes Over As Rain Chances Shrink
Tuesday will look similar, with a high near 91°F, a heat index as high as 106°F and a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms mainly between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. By Wednesday, the storm chance drops to 20%, while highs reach about 92°F.
After that, the forecast turns increasingly dry and hot. Thursday is expected to reach 94°F under sunny skies, followed by highs near 95°F Friday through Sunday, with only a slight chance of a storm returning Sunday afternoon.
Plan Around The Hottest Hours
For Monday, outdoor plans are most vulnerable from late morning through midafternoon, when storms are most likely and the heat index is highest. Drink water, take breaks in air conditioning or shade, and move indoors immediately if thunder is heard.
The forecast discussion warns that heat-index readings between 105°F and 110°F could become more common from Tuesday through the workweek, with heat advisories potentially needed later. No heat advisory is posted for New Orleans in the current report, but conditions are trending toward a more dangerous late-week pattern.
