Tropical Threat Heading Towards The Gulf

An east to west flow continues to be entrenched over the area. Waves embedded in this flow will lead to periods of showers and storms. We see this being the case Friday through the weekend. Any storms that do move through here will be capable of heavy downpours, gusty winds, and frequent lightning strikes. In between the storms, we still deal with hot and humid conditions. Temps continue to manage lower 90s for afternoon highs. This will be a familiar setup throughout the weekend.

In the tropics, we see Tropical Storm Ida taking shape in the Caribbean sea. The storm will enter the gulf and move northward Saturday. Gulf waters are warm and Ida will take advantage of it and strengthen into a hurricane. It could be just shy of major hurricane strengthen at landfall Sunday afternoon. Landfall could be anywhere along the MS or LA coast. The storm moves north then northeastward Monday into Tuesday. We will be on the right side of the storm and that’s the side prone to spin up tornadoes. Right now, that threat would favor areas west of the I-65 corridor Monday afternoon into early Tuesday. The risk of flash flooding will also accompany this tropical system. We could see tropical bands set up and deliver periods of very heavy rainfall.

No doubt we will need to be getting prepared for a stormy start to next week. In the mean time, it’s the usual hot and humid conditions for your last weekend of August.