First Warning Forecast
A one-day break from the high heat and humidity… mid/upper 80s today, less humid and little to no rain possible.
Rising heat tomorrow and Friday with mid 90s for highs and a heat index upwards of 105. We will see mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies with an isolated shower/storm possible.
The biggest rain chance this week is set for Saturday. The leftovers of Hurricane Laura will be pushed over the Mid-Atlantic by a cold front. The biggest chance for rain and storms will be Saturday PM. Winds will also pick up, SW 10-20 with gusts to 30 mph. Right now, the best rain is timing out for late Saturday into early Sunday.
Today: Mostly Sunny. Highs in the upper 80s. Winds: N 5-15
Tonight: Mainly Clear. Lows in the low to mid 70s. Winds: S 5-10
Tomorrow: Mostly Sunny to Partly Cloudy. Highs in the mid 90s. Winds: SW 5-15
Weather & Health
Pollen: Medium-High (Ragweed, Grasses)
UV Index: 9 (Very High)
Air Quality: Good (Code Green)
Mosquitoes: Extreme
Today in Weather History (NWS Wakefield)
August 26th
1998 F0 Tornado: Chowan Co
2003 F0 Tornado: Richmond Co
Tropical Update
Laura continues to rapidly strengthen and is expected to become a category 4 hurricane. Catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding expected along the Gulf Coast tonight.
Hurricane Laura is centered about 225 miles SSE of Lake Charles, Louisiana and moving NW at 16 mph. On the forecast track, Laura will approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland tonight. The center of Laura is forecast to move over northwestern Louisiana tomorrow, across Arkansas Thursday night, and over the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday.
Data from NOAA and Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 125 mph with higher gusts. Laura is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Additional strengthening is expected, and Laura is forecast to become a category 4 hurricane this afternoon. Rapid weakening is expected after Laura makes landfall.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.
