Although the official beginning of hurricane season is Monday, mother nature just couldn’t wait as the area of low pressure of the east coast has acquired tropical characteristics. The National Hurricane Center upgraded the low to a tropical depression this morning, and while TD#1 is no threat to land in the open Atlantic it could briefly become the first tropical storm of the season by tomorrow. The system will then encounter much cooler water and will likely transition quickly to an extra-tropical low or even dissipate by the end of the weekend. While this system is not a threat to anyone other than shipping interests, now is a good time to get ready for the impending season by reviewing your hurricane plans. Download the Desktop Weather Lab so you can track the storms and get the latest watches and warnings, get your KATC Hurricane Safety Guide at any local Popeye’s Stores or here at KATC, and check out the National Weather Service’s Tropical Page and Hurricane Guide for Southwest Louisiana…great stuff here.
Meanwhile, our weather is set on cruise control for this weekend with lots of sunshine tomorrow through Monday. Highs will be in the mid-upper 80s Friday and the upper 80s to near 90 this weekend into early next week. Relative humidity and overnight lows will be down over the next several nights with morning lows dipping into the low-mid 60s through the weekend. Next chance of rain could come mid-next week with a weak upper disturbance working in concert with moisture returning from the Gulf. Rob