New Orleans is starting Friday under mostly cloudy skies and temperatures around 82 degrees, with a wetter, stormier day ahead. Showers and thunderstorms could arrive before breakfast and linger through the afternoon, putting a damp spin on the first big weekend of September.
The forecast calls for an 80% chance of rain Friday, with the best odds from the morning into the afternoon. The high should reach near 88 degrees before temperatures ease later in the day, according to the National Weather Service.
Lightning And Downpours Could Disrupt Friday Plans
The overall severe-weather threat is expected to remain low, but a few storms could still produce frequent lightning, brief heavy rain and strong wind gusts. Anyone heading out for work, errands or early weekend plans should keep an eye on the sky and move indoors when thunder is audible.
Friday night brings a lower 21% rain chance and a low near 76 degrees. Storm chances jump back to 80% Saturday, when the high should reach near 92, while Sunday stays hot near 91 with a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms.
Labor Day Stays Hot With More Storms Possible
Labor Day should be mostly sunny at first, but showers and thunderstorms could develop after 1 p.m. with a high near 91 degrees. The heat index is expected to run roughly 100 to 107 degrees through much of the seven-day period, so even a storm break may not feel like much of a cool-down.
Storm chances should ease Tuesday through Thursday, with convection becoming more isolated to widely scattered and highs in the low to middle 90s. Friday's stronger rain signal is a notable update from the earlier Hoodline forecast, which had placed the day's overall rain chance closer to 50%.
