Heat and humidity return through the weekend

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) –  Great ready for the first heatwave of 2022! It won’t be too bad, but we’ll get an early taste of summer beginning today with high temperatures in the upper 80s and high humidity through the weekend. 

A warm front moved through the ArkLaTex yesterday, and that breezy south wind we felt all day and all night has been pushing humid Gulf air into the region. This is resulting in mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 70s this morning. The clouds will hang on for a few hours, but they will begin to break by the late morning and afternoon letting through some sun and driving those high temperatures into the mid and upper 80s. The high humidity will make it feel like it’s over 90 degrees. For the next few days, the most comfortable time to be outside will be in the early morning. Not only will it be muggy and hot, but we’ll also have a breezy south wind of 15 miles per hour, with a few gusts as high as 20 miles per hour today. 

While most areas won’t see any rain today, there is a very slight chance we could see a brief rain shower near the I-30 corridor late this morning or early in the afternoon. This is the reason the temperatures will be a few degrees cooler across the northern ArkLaTex.

This pattern of morning clouds and afternoon sunshine is expected to continue through Saturday. A ridge of high pressure that is responsible for this warm weather will be at its strongest today and tomorrow. If we can get more sun than anticipated it wouldn’t be surprising to see a few areas hit 90-degree highs. The ridge will ease its grip on us somewhat this weekend but highs will remain in the mid to upper 80s Saturday and Sunday. 

The good news, it is still April, and we’ll have frequent cold fronts for the next month to give us a break from the rising temperatures and humidity. Our next cold front will approach late Sunday. There is a slight chance rain could develop in Texas or Oklahoma late Sunday afternoon and evening. This front will move into the ArkLaTex Sunday night and Monday morning, and this is when the rain and thunderstorms will increase. As of right now, the threat for severe weather looks low, but anytime you get the clash of cold air with the warm/humid air we could have a few storms bring an unexpected high wind gust or some hail. We’ll keep you updated on this potential in the upcoming days. 

Highs will drop into the 70s Monday and Tuesday behind this front, and thankfully the humidity will get knocked out as well as we should have comfortable air returning for much of next week.