FORECAST HIGHLIGHTS:
- A plume of Saharan dust hangs around today, keeping skies somewhat hazy
- Heat and humidity hold steady this week
- Hurricane Beryl is the earliest category 4 hurricane on record in the Atlantic
- It remains too early to tell if Beryl will bring Texas any rainfall
- Tropical Storm Chris formed overnight, it’s a non-factor in the forecast
TODAY’S POLLEN COUNT:
FORECAST:
Good morning! Yesterday’s pop-up showers were nice to see, at least for a lucky few. We don’t expect to see that on the radar today, as it’ll just be hot, hazy, and humid. That haziness is courtesy of Saharan dust. A plume will work it’s way through today and tomorrow. In general, expect it to be near 100° and humid this week.
For your July 4th plans, expect partly cloudy skies and heat index values around 105° during peak heating on Thursday.
TROPICAL UPDATE:
Tropical Storm Chris formed overnight just off the coast of Mexico and promptly moved inland over Eastern Mexico. It’ll bring heavy rain there, but other than some slightly higher surf along the coast, the impacts to Texas will be minimal.
As for Beryl, she’s a mighty hurricane. Currently a category 3 storm, with winds of 120 mph, she’ll bear down on the Windward Caribbean islands today. Islands like Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and Tobago will be hit hard by the hurricane. It then moves into the Caribbean and likely weakens a bit, as it moves toward Jamaica on Wednesday. Then, it’ll cross over the Yucatan Peninsula, weakening back into a tropical storm. As it moves into the Gulf of Mexico this weekend, some restrengthening is possible. The big question is where does it move? While there is a bit more consensus on a westward track toward Mexico, I’d say it’s still too early to lock in on any one track. Much will depend on a ridge of high pressure as it scoots east out of Texas. Where exactly does it end up and how strong will it be? There is still a scenario where Texas sees impacts from Beryl. So for now, it’ll be a wait and watch scenario. We of course will keep you updated!