Historic heat has some in New Orleans worried about powerful hurricanes this season
Air temperatures in the 90s and heat indices in the 100s are the result of a sprawling area of high pressure that is also causing water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico to continue to rise – heat that could fan the flames if a hurricane develops.
FOX Weather's Robert Ray Cruisin' Across America: New Orleans
Anxiety over hurricane season is a reality of life in New Orleans and the communities that surround the Crescent City. Right now, the concern with the weather is heightened because of the historic heat wave gripping much of Louisiana. FOX Weather’s Robert Ray is in the French Quarter to explain what the air and water temperatures could mean for this time of year.
NEW ORLEANS – As the heat continues to rise in New Orleans, so do concerns of more powerful, heat-fueled hurricanes churning off the Louisiana coastline.
Air temperatures in the 90s and heat indices in the 100s are the result of a sprawling area of high pressure that is also causing water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico to continue to rise – heat that could fan the flames if a hurricane develops.
"It’s alarming," said James Karst, coast restoration expert with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. "We know that the oceans are very, very warm now, and that is fuel for hurricanes. So, people are absolutely concerned about it."
FILE - Search and rescue Teams head up Orleans St. in search of victims during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina Saturday, September 3, 2005, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
(Keith Birmingham / MediaNews Group / Pasadena Star-News / Getty Images)
Their concerns involve what a stronger storm could mean for homeowners, specifically, how they are going to afford both homeowner’s insurance and flood insurance.
"There's no easy solution for that," Karst said during a FOX Weather "Cruisin’ Across America" interview with correspondent Robert Ray. "We're not going to stop hurricanes from happening. There's no off switch for them. So, what we need to do is prepare for them in the best way that we can."
Some of those preparations include a $50-billion, 50-year plan by the state to restore much of the coastline that has eroded over the years due to tropical storms and hurricanes battering Louisiana.
SAVING COASTAL LOUISIANA: A $50-BILLION, 5-DECADE-LONG PLAN TO RESTORE MARSHLANDS
An estimated 2,000 miles of coastline have been lost since 1932, according to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. For context, that’s a little more than the distance between New Orleans and Los Angeles.
FILE - Homes destroyed after Hurricane Ida in the Coco Village near Cocodrie, Louisiana, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Cocodrie lies southwest on New Orleans on the Gulf coast.
(Mark Felix / Bloomberg / Getty Images)
The peak of hurricane season comes in September, leaving many Louisiana residents worried about how high water temperatures in July can impact the storms that could be on the horizon.
"Cruisin’ Across America" is a weather series hosted by Ray, highlighting areas of the U.S. that have been impacted by weather events, along with their unique culture.
Kicking off in Jacksonville, Florida, on July 13 and ending on July 20 in Santa Monica, California, the weeklong series will cover a number of communities and the weather stories they have to tell.