7/9 – Rob Knight’s “VERY HOT” Thursday Morning Forecast

High-pressure over the northern Gulf of Mexico will slowly deepen while it drifts north and expands eastward across the local region. Increasing subsidence and dry air in the column will substantially stunt convection today and Friday. If anyone sees rain today, it should be those MS counties in southwest and coastal portions of the state.

Moving into the weekend, continued low rain chances combined with increasing pressure means high temps will likely begin to soar into the mid-90s. Saturated soils will help to maintain elevated low-level moisture. Mid 90s air temps will mid to upper 70 dew-points are the perfect recipe for heat advisory conditions. Expecting heat index values to range from 108 to 112 Saturday and Sunday. Lows will struggle to reach the upper 70s for many locations. In conditions like what we’re expecting.

The heat is…still…on, to start the extended portion of the forecast but there may be some slight relief in the form of rain returning as we push into next week. That said don’t get your hopes up quite yet as we could be just on the outside and stuck in the heat. The ridge that has been centered over the 4 corners and dominating much of the southern Plains and into the GOM will begin to amplify over the Rockies. This will also lead to the L/W trough over the east coast to amplify and dig into the eastern GOM late this weekend and into next week.