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FORECAST: No break in the heat and humidity, tracking Hurricane Ida
Locally, the hot and humid weather continues with little-to-no rain. In the tropics, Hurricane Ida expected to make a beeline for coastal Louisiana.
WCNC Staff, Brad Panovich, Chris Mulcahy, Brittany Van Voorhees (WCNC), KJ Jacobs, Larry Sprinkle
12:41 PM EST March 6, 2019
7:38 PM EDT August 28, 2021
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sunday:
The second half of the weekend will be even hotter than the first! Highs will peak close to 95° with heat indices in the upper 90s and lower 100s.
Rain and storms chances will be minimal and restricted mainly to the mountains and foothills. There will be a high pressure system near by which will limit the rain and cloud cover.
The next few days will be great to lay by a pool, the lake or bask in the A/C before the storms return.
Next Week:
The extended forecast is truly based on Ida. Monday will be another scorcher, but by Tuesday the cloud cover will increase. This will keep temps in the lower 90s with a better chance for thunderstorms.
Rain chances will finally become scattered Wednesday through the end of the week. Although we’ll see a few more showers, the heat continues with highs above average.
Rainfall potential will be much higher to our west due to the influence of Ida. The worst weather looks to stay well away from us. However, our local will be higher due to increased moisture and the remaining low from Ida.
In The Tropics:
Hurricane Ida will be the major story this weekend and one for the history books. Ida is expected to rapidly intensity to a Category 4 major hurricane over the weekend. Storm surge and hurricane warnings have been issued for the northern Gulf coast.
Saturday-Sunday Morning: Ida will go into a process called “rapid intensification” when it moves into the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. This is a warm spot of water that hurricanes historically thrive and grow in. Two examples are Hurricane Katrina (2005) and Hurricane Michael (2018). So what will happen?
- Central pressure will drop which strengthens the wind field
- The eye wall will form turning Ida into a classic looking strong hurricane
- Sustained winds will increase over 35 mph in a 24 hour period.
- Hurricane Ida will become a major hurricane peaking up to category 4 strength of 140+ mph
The latest track from the National Hurricane Center suggests a Category 3 or 4 major hurricane will make landfall along the Louisiana coast by around 6 p.m. Sunday.
FULL STORY AND TROPICAL UPDATE: Ida rapidly intensifies into a hurricane, expected to make landfall in Louisiana as a Category 3
Meanwhile, Tropical Depression Ten formed in the central Atlantic Ocean Saturday morning. The system is expected to drift northward over the next few days when it could become a tropical storm.
It’s expected to stay well east of the Lesser Antilles. Next storm name on the list is Julian.
Elsewhere, we have two tropical waves to monitor: one in the central Atlantic and one that hasn’t left Africa.
The first wave has an 80% chance of development but is no threat to the United States. The other will have to be monitored closely next week, but it’s not expected to form until then.