LAURA IMPACTS THURSDAY: We expect ‘fringe impacts’ from Hurricane Laura as it moves inland. Laura will feature a much broader circulation than Marco – so its impacts will be felt farther away from the center. Locally, highest impacts will be west of I-55 with the possibility of tropical storm force gusts Thursday amid periods of heavy rain, storms and the possibility of spin-up tornadoes. Generally, winds will run, sustained, around 15-30 mph; gusts could be between 30-50 mph; rainfall amounts will run around 1-3" in most instances and sporadic power outages can’t be ruled out. This won’t be a constant rain, but bands of rain will rotate in, keeping the weather unsettled throughout the day. Highs will top out in the 80s.
FRIDAY: As Laura continues to unravel in the mid-Mississippi Valley, it will still have a moisture connection the Gulf of Mexico – that could flare up over the area, bringing the possibility for flooding rains amid gusty wind and another spin-up tornado risk. Highs will be in the middle and upper 80s amid a breezy southwest wind. Storms will tend to fade after sunset as lows drop into the 70s.
EXTENDED FORECAST: In the wake of Laura, a soupy airmass will remain. Gradually, we’ll transition back to a more typical pattern amid the soupy airmass into the weekend and next week with highs in the upper 80s and lower 90s with scattered storms on a daily basis.
Patrick Ellis
WLBT/FOX 40 First Alert Meteorologist
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @PatrickEllisWx
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