CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — An intense dome of upper-air high pressure over West Texas bridges across the Coastal Bend to give excessive heat and humidity through the coming weekend. Only stray coastal showers are expected for the next couple of days. The combination of heat and humidity will mean heat index values near 115 today and up to 120 on Wednesday. A Heat Advisory is in effect for today and may be upgraded to an Excessive Heat Warning for Wednesday. Take appropriate precautions to ensure your safety and that of the elderly, young and infirm...as well as your outdoor pets.
Rainfall will be modest, at best, through the upcoming weekend, but there are changes to be seen next week. The upper ridge shuts down meaningful rain chances, so only a few coastal showers will appear today and Wednesday. However, as the ridge shifts to the Desert Southwest early next week it allows a strong disturbance to move out of the Rockies. That system will bring a cold front and instigate isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms by next Tuesday. Rainfall totals may approach a half inch, and daytime temperatures may dip to near normal.
Temperatures will remain well above normal today through the weekend, with afternoon readings in the upper 90s to around 100. Overnight, expect middle to upper 70s. Afternoon sea breezes will be from the east southeast at 10 to 20 mph.
The tropics have cooled down as far as named storms are concerned, but there remains lots of potential for development. In the eastern Atlantic, Katia is now pos-tropical. However, disturbance 95L is halfway between Cabo Verde and the Lesser Antilles, moving west and likely to become a tropical depression or tropical storm by Wednesday. Interests in the Bahamas and along the U.S. Atlantic coast will be watchful for rapid intensification of this system. Another strong tropical wave moving off the African coast has a high chance of development and will affect Cabo Verde within the next 48 hours. In the Eastern Pacific, Tropical Storm Jova is well off the Mexican coast and moving west. It is no threat to North America.
