Meteorologist Kristy Steward's First Warning Forecast
Happy Friday! The heat presses on. High temperatures today were a few degrees warmer than yesterday in most locations. Still feeling like the triple digits. As high pressure remains in control over Hampton Roads, high temperatures this weekend stay in the low to mid 90s, feeling like the triple digits outside. We also continue to remain decently dry. Isolated to widely scattered storms are possible both Saturday and Sunday afternoon and evening, more likely across our North Carolina counties.
If you plan to keep cool in the water this weekend, watch out for harmful algae blooms.
Hot, muggy, and mostly dry weather continues for Monday. Tuesday will still have temperatures reaching the low 90s, but a cold front will begin to approach. That front will stall over us, then the remnants from Ida may ride along the stationary front late next week. That means temperatures will be on the decline! From highs in the upper 80s Wednesday to highs in the low 80s by Friday. Also expect scattered showers and thunderstorms along that frontal boundary from Tuesday night into Thursday. If we do see Ida's remnants, we may see our rain chances continue to go up the second half of the workweek. However, that would also mean our severe weather threat goes up.
Hurricane Ida currently has 80 MPH sustained winds. Its center is located 45 miles NW of the Isle of Youth and 90 miles SW of Havana, Cuba. Hurricane-force winds are extending outward from its center up to 25 miles and tropical-storm-force winds are extending outward up to 90 miles. It’s moving NW at 15 MPH. Hurricane Ida is over the western tip of Cuba. It's forecast to rapidly intensify into a major Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico before making another landfall along the Louisiana coastline Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina caused massive destruction across Louisiana. Ida's remnants could then head our way toward coastal NC/VA late next week, likely Wednesday and Thursday.
There are also two other disturbances in the Atlantic. One has a 60% chance of formation over the next 5 days and the other an 80% chance. Both tropical waves look to stay in the Atlantic.
Meteorologist Kristy Steward
