NEW ORLEANS – The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for most of the area through Sunday evening.
The areas not included are coastal St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Lafourche, and Terrebone parishes. The northern portions of these parishes are included.
A heat advisory is issued when heat indices are expected to be 108 degrees or higher for prolonged periods of time. Already on Friday, Louis Armstrong Airport reported a heat index of 111. It’s possible that some areas could see heat indices up to 115.
Adding insult to injury, overnight temperatures are not expected to get below 80 degrees on the South Shore. Typically that means these areas won’t cool off enough overnight to help offset any heat the next day.
The heat wave is expected to last through Sunday and possibly Monday, depending on how slow the ridge of high pressure retreats back to the west. By Tuesday, temperatures return to near seasonal averages and the chance for afternoon storms returns.