CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Saharan dust moved into South Texas yesterday afternoon and created very hazy conditions and brought down our air quality.
We’ll see another round of that Thursday, as temperatures are forecast to remain blazing hot with highs mainly in the upper 90s to low 100s for many. If you have respiratory issues, it may be a good idea to remain indoors for most of the day.
The haze and dust will begin to move out later tonight.
We can thank upper-level high pressure, or the big “dome” of high pressure, for sweltering heat we’ve been experiencing. It just continues to be relentless and is delivering plenty of heat for us, the state and much of the southeast.
As we head into the weekend, look for the sunshine, heat and more wind. Heat index values will remain high due to high humidity, and we’ll look for them to top out around 103-109. Continue to take precautions to beat the heat and drink plenty of water and seek the air-condition frequently if you plan on being outdoors for more than a couple of hours.
There are some changes on the horizon though.
The high-pressure dome will back off some to the west early next week and that will allow a very weak frontal boundary to stall in central Texas by Tuesday. The result will be some widely scattered showers and storms across the state. We’ll be on the tail end of the activity, so this is not going to be a widespread rainfall even for us. However, it is our best opportunity for some rain in quite some time. Rainfall amounts of a quarter to half inch will be average.
The tropics continue to be quiet, just like we like them. No tropical formation is forecast in the next 5-days.
Today: Lots of hazy sunshine with Saharan dust still lingering in the area, breezy and humid…High: 97…Wind: SE 10-20 MPH…Heat Index: 103-109.
Tonight: More clouds move in, mild and muggy…Low: 73…Wind: SSW 5-10 MPH.
Friday: Mainly sunny skies, less haze and dust, scorching hot and humid with more wind…High: 98…Wind: SSE 15-25 MPH…Heat Index: 105-110.
Saturday: Sunshine, heat and wind along with very humid conditions…High: 97…Wind: SSE 15-25 MPH…Heat Index: 100-107.
Sunday: Sunny, sweltering heat and less wind…High: 97…Wind: ESE 10-20 MPH…Heat Index: 103-108.
Monday: More clouds move in with some late day showers possible; still blazing hot and humid…High: 94…Wind: ESE 10-15 MPH.
Tuesday: Partly to mainly cloudy with front stalling north of Coastal Bend; resulting in widely scattered showers and storms…High: 91…Wind: E 10-20 MPH.
Have a great day and keep cool!