Central US gets a break from the heat

It’s been a hot summer so far, but a large portion of the country is getting ready to cool down a bit.

It’s important to know when talking about “warmer or cooler than average” that those numbers can mean 1 degree cooler or 10 degrees cooler. So cooler doesn’t necessarily mean you need to break out the coats!

Average highs from New Orleans to Shreveport to Little Rock, and Oklahoma City are all in the lower 90s for this time of year. The Climate Prediction Center shows a large portion of the Central US with a good chance of being below average for the next 8 - 14 days. So be thinking a lot of mid to upper 80s for highs instead of 90 and above.

As is usually the case, below average temperatures come with above average rain chances.

In fact, a swath of heavy rain is possible from New Mexico through Oklahoma and into the Midwest over the next 7 days.

Hi-res models show where some of the heaviest rain will be today. Most of coastal Louisiana will see some scattered thunderstorms, some isolated chances further north, and a line of storms will produce locally heavy rain across the southern and central plains.

Enjoy the “cooler” temperatures but have the rain gear ready to go!