Summer heat and pop-up storms, Erin becomes a major hurricane

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – After a quiet start to Saturday, temperatures will warm quickly under partly cloudy skies. By lunchtime, we will approach 90 degrees. Pop-up storms develop during the afternoon hours to bring some cooling relief. Highs will be in the low and mid 90s across the area. Any rain settles down during the evening hours. Overnight, skies clear and temperatures settle in the 70s.

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In the tropics, Hurricane Erin rapidly intensified overnight, becoming a major hurricane. As of Saturday morning, Erin is a Category 4 hurricane and has winds of 130 mph. It will continue westward today before turning northward and passing east of the U.S. It is expected to strengthen more and could even approach Category 5 status Sunday night. While it is not expected to bring direct impacts to the U.S., large swells and rip currents will be a big problem for beachgoers into next week.

Locally, the hot temperatures and daily rain chances continue through the next week. We do not see any major changes to the forecast as high pressure builds just north of the area, keeping most weather systems far away from Acadiana.

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