Hurricane Laura to cause heat wave, humidity in Dallas-Fort Worth, weather service says
Hurricane Laura swept into the Louisiana and Texas coasts early Thursday morning, pummeling the regions with ferocious winds and heavy rain before it was expected to move north.
The most severe impacts of the cyclone that made landfall as a category four hurricane won’t be felt in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, according to the National Weather Service. But the hurricane is anticipated to cause a rise in temperatures and possible thunderstorms in North Texas.
A few showers were possible Thursday as a result of Laura, though these weren’t expected to have much coverage or intensity, according to Juan Hernandez, a weather service meteorologist. As the hurricane continues to move north, he said, high pressure is going to settle into the DFW region. That is expected to lead to a rapid rise in heat and humidity on Friday and Saturday.
The highs on both days are expected to be around 103, Hernadez said. Those likely won’t approach the respective record highs, he said — 108 for Friday, set in 1901, and the 1951-set record of 105 for Saturday.
But on Friday, it’s expected to feel closer to 108 with the humidity in the air, according to the weather service forecast.
“It’s all interconnected with what’s going on right now with Laura,” Hernandez said over the phone Thursday morning. “We have returned to southerly winds so we’re gonna have that humidity come back.”
Even on the periphery of a hurricane, he noted, some effects can be felt.
Hernandez advised DFW residents who plan to spend time outside on Friday or Saturday to make sure they stay hydrated. The weather service hadn’t issued a heat advisory for the weekend as of Thursday, but Hernandez said it’s looking like there will be one.
A hazardous weather outlook issued early Thursday morning said heat index values could reach 105 to 110 degrees on Friday and Saturday.
The heat and humidity should return to more normal levels on Sunday, with a predicted high of around 99 degrees, the forecast indicates.
The high temperature is then expected to be around 100 on Monday, 97 on Tuesday and 97 on Wednesday.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 12:04 PM.
