New Orleans and the greater south Louisiana region have been dealing with a long and hot stretch of weather. Recent rain has brought hope to many locals who are hoping for some relief from the heat. Will the Crescent City start seeing autumnal weather consistently moving forward? LSU Climatologist Barry Keim says it may still be a while before wetter, cooler weather becomes the norm.
“My suspicion is that we’re going to dip back into drought,” Keim says. “We did get a little rainy spell, but it wasn’t enough and it doesn’t look like there’s much rain in the future in the New Orleans metro area. We’re still going to be in a bit of a hole when it comes to our rainfall,” he adds.
For residents in and around the Crescent City hoping for a turn toward autumn weather in the near future, Keim isn't so certain that's in the cards. "This year, we've hardly had any fronts coming through here at all. Hopefully once we get into October, some of these fronts come through and will produce some of the rainfall we need. But, keep in mind, October is on average our driest month. That's our dry season here," the climatologist notes. While Louisiana residents are glad for the quiet hurricane season, the lack of weather fronts coming through the area is the cause of the hot, dry weather throughout the area.