Heat Advisory Continues into Wednesday

A Heat Advisory was posted early Tuesday morning for the vast majority of our area and has now been extended through the day on Wednesday. 

What exactly does a ‘Heat Advisory’ signify? Unlike our severe weather warnings (Severe T-Storm, Tornado, etc) that have uniform definitions nationally, advisory criteria are established by each local National Weather Service office. In our case, a Heat Advisory is issued when:

• The low temperature is expected to drop below 77° AND the afternoon heat index is expected to reach at least 105°… OR
• The heat index is expected to reach at least 108° for 2 hours or more.

Truthfully, much of the WAFB viewing area fell just short of those criteria today, but we’re splitting hairs in talking about degrees of ‘hotness’. In essence, look for temperature and humidity levels on Wednesday very similar to what we’ve seen the past several days.

An upper-level ‘ridge’ of high pressure that has been the source of our hot and mainly dry weather will hang on for another day or so. However, the ridge will begin to break down as we head toward the end of the week. At the same time, an upper-low and tropical wave will be moving in tandem across the Gulf from east-to-west. As these features approach, they’ll provide an increase in instability and tropical moisture. That will translate into better rain chances – approximately 40% - 50% -- from Friday into the weekend. No single day looks like a washout, but you could very well have to dodge some downpours if you have outdoor plans this weekend.

While a tropical wave will be an ingredient in better rain chances this weekend, we’re not expecting the wave to really develop into anything of concern. And elsewhere, the tropics remain quiet this afternoon!