KATC StormTeam 3 Weather BLOG

The National Hurricane Center upgraded Dolly to hurricane status this afternoon as the system continued to churn toward the Lower Texas Coast and Northern Mexico. Fortunately for us, the only effects from Dolly will be another day with plenty of cloud cover accompanied by a better chance of getting wet by tropical showers and thundershowers and elevated tides along the coast. Some gusty winds and heavy downpours can be expected as Dolly makes landfall Wednesday with tropical moisture spreading radially from the center of circulation. Typically at night, tropical rain bands concentrate near the center of a tropical system, but during the day, and especially when a system makes landfall, wind and moisture fields expand. Combining that factor with daytime heating should produce a healthy round of tropical showers across Acadiana. A few funnel clouds would not be surprising in a few isolated cells so we’ll be watching the radar closely tomorrow. A Coastal Flood Watch remains in effect as tides rise from 1-2ft above normal this evening to 2-3ft above normal Wednesday. Tides could reach 4ft above normal along the Cameron Coast with water possible reaching Highway 82 near Holly Beach. The more quickly Dolly makes landfall, the lower the tides will be. Tides along with the rain chances will decrease Thursday. But we could see enhanced rain chances and some quite healthy storms late Thursday as a frontal trough over the SE U.S. could send an impulse to the southwest that could interact with the residual tropical moisture in our area. More typical summer weather with scattered afternoon showers and storms are expected Friday through the weekend.