Summer makes a comeback this weekend

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A gradual transition back to summer-like conditions is underway, although we enjoyed another nice start this morning with temperatures in the 60s.

Afternoon highs rebounded into the low 90s under mostly sunny skies. A stray shower can’t be ruled out south of I-10 and especially closer to the coast, but the vast majority of us should stay dry.

The first concert of the fall series of Live After Five starts out on the warm side with temperatures in the upper 80s, but it will gradually get more comfortable through the evening with temperatures in the upper 70s by 8 PM.

As humidity levels continue to climb over the next 24 hours, one notable change will be a trend toward warmer morning lows. Saturday starts out in the upper 60s, with more summer-like low 70s expected for Sunday morning. Highs on both days are expected to reach the low 90s, with a noticeable increase in humidity making it more and more uncomfortable outdoors. Rain chances will run less than 20% on Saturday and around 20% for Sunday.

If you’re headed to the LSU campus on Saturday, plan on a hot afternoon. As mentioned, afternoon highs will reach the low 90s, but remember, those values are measured in the shade. If in direct sunlight, the temperature can be 10 degrees or more warmer than the ‘official’ readings reported from the airport. At least rain shouldn’t be much of an issue. Kickoff temperatures will fall from the upper 80s into the upper 70s by the end of the game.

Into next week, high pressure is expected to build across the central U.S., resulting in an extended run of summer-like heat through next week. Highs will range from the low to mid 90s, with little to no rainfall through the week. Fall officially gets underway on Thursday, but it seems as though we’ll have to wait a bit longer for any real extended taste of fall after a brief tease over the last few days.

In the tropics, Fiona remains a tropical storm. There is some potential that conditions may become a little more favorable for intensification as it enters the Caribbean this weekend. The official forecast shows it near Hispaniola by Monday and perhaps into the southeastern Bahamas after that. The extended part of the forecast still features plenty of uncertainty and it is still too soon to speculate on any potential impacts on the mainland United States.

Elsewhere, another tropical wave over the open Atlantic is being monitored for possible development. The outlook as of early Friday morning gives it a 20% chance of development over the next 5 days. The good news is that this system looks as though it will remain over the open Atlantic.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved.