CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Our old nemesis, the upper-level ridge, is back in action and bringing extreme heat and humidity to the Coastal Bend this week while shutting down chances for significant rain. This will mean above normal temperatures and afternoon heat indices of between 110 and 118 degrees.
The upper ridge dries out and heats up the middle and upper layers of the atmosphere, preventing showers and thunderstorms from growing and generating much-needed rainfall. What we can expect is isolated showers over the coastal waters, especially Wednesday and again this coming weekend with a weak sea breeze. Any rainfall will be fleeting and modest.
Temperatures return to well above normal this coming week. Afternoon readings will remain in the upper 90s, with heat indices of between 110 and 118 degrees, while morning lows will be in the middle to upper 70s. Remember heat safety guidelines and take care of people and pets. Generally light winds each morning will shift to the east southeast at 10 to 22 miles an hour with the sea breeze in the middle afternoon hours.
The tropics remain active but non-threatening to the Coastal Bend. Tropical Storm Gert will become extra-tropical later today in the far North Atlantic, while Tropical Storm Katia weakens to a depression and dissipates tomorrow. Tropical disturbance 95L is about halfway between Cabo Verde and the Lesser Antilles. This system has a high chance of becoming a tropical depression or tropical storm by Tuesday and is moving toward the Lesser Antilles. It may become a factor for the U.S. Atlantic coast next week. In the Eastern Pacific, disturbance 93E also has a high chance of becoming a tropical cyclone by midweek but is well offshore of Mexico and moving west northwest.