Heat, humidity to swelter hurricane-weary Gulf Coast as cleanup efforts resume
By
Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Oct 10, 2020 3:48 PM EDT
Residents across Louisiana and southeast Texas are left to clean up from not one, but two hurricanes following Delta's record-setting landfall. In the days ahead, forecasters say stifling heat and humidity could add more misery to the ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts.
Delta made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in Creole, Louisiana, on Friday evening, just 13 miles from where Hurricane Laura crashed ashore as a Category 4 storm in late August. Delta became the first hurricane named after a Greek letter to move inland on U.S. soil.
Caleb Cormier moves debris after Hurricane Delta moved through, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, in Lake Charles, La. Delta hit as a Category 2 hurricane with top winds of 100 mph (155 kph) before rapidly weakening over land. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Ahead of Delta, aerial footage showed blue tarps still covering homes and businesses and damage piles left behind from Laura across portions of Louisiana.
During Saturday morning, around 700,000 customers were left without power across southeastern Texas and Louisiana from Delta's fierce winds, according to PowerOutage.us. Around 250,000 customers were still without power Monday morning.
"Due to the widespread power outages across the region, air conditioners may be out of commission for residents through at least early week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.
While no rainfall is forecast for most of the upcoming week, forecasters say it will be heat and humidity that will be of concern for those left without power and proper shelter.
"High temperatures will be above normal with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the middle 90s F," Travis said.
AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures at this level can make cleanup operations difficult and even dangerous, should extra precautions not be taken.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
People are urged to remain hydrated and avoid strenuous activity during the peak of the heat in the afternoon. The coolest part of the day will generally be the first few hours of daylight.
The peak of the heat will continue through Monday, when high temperatures will be in the upper 80s to lower 90s across southeastern Texas and Louisiana, which is about 4-8 degrees above normal.
The nights will be warm and muggy and can cause difficulty for those trying to rest up without a means of staying cool. Overnight lows will only dip into the middle 60s to lower 70s.
More seasonable air will arrive starting on Tuesday, but it will not be until late next week and into next weekend when the high humidity gets whisked away by a potent front.
Temperatures may also dip several degrees below normal behind this front.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
Heat, humidity to swelter hurricane-weary Gulf Coast as cleanup efforts resume
By Renee Duff, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Oct 10, 2020 3:48 PM EDT
Residents across Louisiana and southeast Texas are left to clean up from not one, but two hurricanes following Delta's record-setting landfall. In the days ahead, forecasters say stifling heat and humidity could add more misery to the ongoing cleanup and recovery efforts.
Delta made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane in Creole, Louisiana, on Friday evening, just 13 miles from where Hurricane Laura crashed ashore as a Category 4 storm in late August. Delta became the first hurricane named after a Greek letter to move inland on U.S. soil.
Caleb Cormier moves debris after Hurricane Delta moved through, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020, in Lake Charles, La. Delta hit as a Category 2 hurricane with top winds of 100 mph (155 kph) before rapidly weakening over land. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Ahead of Delta, aerial footage showed blue tarps still covering homes and businesses and damage piles left behind from Laura across portions of Louisiana.
During Saturday morning, around 700,000 customers were left without power across southeastern Texas and Louisiana from Delta's fierce winds, according to PowerOutage.us. Around 250,000 customers were still without power Monday morning.
"Due to the widespread power outages across the region, air conditioners may be out of commission for residents through at least early week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Travis said.
While no rainfall is forecast for most of the upcoming week, forecasters say it will be heat and humidity that will be of concern for those left without power and proper shelter.
"High temperatures will be above normal with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the middle 90s F," Travis said.
AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures at this level can make cleanup operations difficult and even dangerous, should extra precautions not be taken.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
People are urged to remain hydrated and avoid strenuous activity during the peak of the heat in the afternoon. The coolest part of the day will generally be the first few hours of daylight.
The peak of the heat will continue through Monday, when high temperatures will be in the upper 80s to lower 90s across southeastern Texas and Louisiana, which is about 4-8 degrees above normal.
The nights will be warm and muggy and can cause difficulty for those trying to rest up without a means of staying cool. Overnight lows will only dip into the middle 60s to lower 70s.
More seasonable air will arrive starting on Tuesday, but it will not be until late next week and into next weekend when the high humidity gets whisked away by a potent front.
Temperatures may also dip several degrees below normal behind this front.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo