Severe storms Thursday followed by a heat wave

(KSLA) - Thursday is now a First Alert Weather Day. Storms will be pushing into the ArkLaTex on Thursday bring an enhanced risk for severe weather. The rain will end by Friday, then Mother Nature’s heater will be turned on for the ArkLaTex.

Overnight it will be calm before the storm. Literally! There should not be any rain overnight other than a few showers or storms near the I-30 corridor. There will be more clouds increasing and there should also be some southerly winds. This will all contribute to the temperatures staying warm. Lows will be in the upper 60s and lower 70s.

Thursday should start off dry, but more rain is on its way. A cold front will be sweeping through the ArkLaTex bringing a line of showers and storms. There is an enhanced risk for severe weather for just about all of the viewing area. That goes up to a level 3 out of 5. This will be due to strong and damaging winds and large hail. A tornado or two is not ruled out however. The rain should arrive in the late morning hours and through the evening. From there, it will wind down and all the rain will move off to the east away from the ArkLaTex. Keep the umbrella and KSLA Weather app handy throughout your Thursday.

Friday will go back to mostly dry weather. An isolated shower or two is possible but unlikely. So, I lowered the rain chance to 10% chance for the day. Temperatures will be a bit warmer after a warm front moves over us. So high temperatures will get up to the mid to upper 80s. This will also be the lowest the humidity will be for several days. Even then, it will still be noticeable.

This weekend will be dry with very limited rain. A shower or two is not ruled out Saturday, but it should not be enough to cancel any plans. Here’s the catch. It will be HOT! Blazing hot! Temperatures over the weekend will get up to the 90s! Especially on Sunday in the mid 90s! That would put us near record territory. Saturday should be just below the record, then Sunday should beat the old record set from 1875. Plus the humidity will be high, making it feel even worse! Feels like temperatures may get up to the triple digits! (Gulp) Stay hydrated if you plan on being outdoors. Maybe this year you get your mother a pack of ice or a nice frozen daquiri to cool down with!

Monday and Tuesday will also be very hot with dry conditions. I do not expect much if any rain either of these two days. Temperatures will remain around record territory. So highs will be in the mid 90s. For reference, average high temperatures for early May is only the lower to mid 80s. So we are about 10-15 degrees or so above average. Heat advisories could be issued through next week. Stay cautious in the heat!

Wednesday and Thursday will have more of the same. Extreme heat with basically no chance of rain. Temperatures will heat up to the mid 90s in the afternoon with summertime-like humidity. So feels like temperatures could still be up around the century mark. Even in the morning, temperatures will only cool to the upper 60s and lower 70s thanks to this humidity.

Have a great rest of the week, stay weather aware Thursday, and prepare for all the heat on its way!

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