Be prepared for dangerous heat levels over the next couple of days. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Matt Doyle has the story on why you should wake up early tomorrow morning and to watch the famed Perseid Meteor shower…
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The National Weather Service has issued its first excessive heat warning of the year for the northern half of the state until Tuesday night. Meteorologist Gary Chatelain says heat indices will climb over 110-degrees
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99-degrees is the forecasted high for Shreveport and Monroe. Tomorrow, Alexandria could see a heat index of 110-degrees. Chatelain says heat-related issues can develop quickly when heat indices get this high…
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The southern half of the state is under a heat advisory. Heat indices could range from 105 to 113 degrees along the I-10-I-12 corridor. Chatelain says winds out of the southwest are helping to produce the dangerous heat levels. He says we could see a break from the extreme heat on Wednesday
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Louisiana is one of only three states in the nation where drivers can buy gas for under $2 a gallon. The statewide average for a gallon of gasoline has dipped 8 cents over the last week to $2.24. GasBuddy.com spokesperson Patrick Dehaan says some stations around the capital city are bringing down the average.
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About two dozen stations in Louisiana are selling gas for less than $2. Texas and Oklahoma are the other two states where gas can be purchased for under $2.
Dehaan says the escalating trade tensions between the US and China can take credit for the relief at the pump.
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Dehaan says it is possible the statewide average for a gallon could drop to below $2 by Thanksgiving, but there are factors that could hinder that.
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Tomorow morning will be your best chance to catch the famed annual Perseid meteor shower. Best viewing will be just after 4AM until sunrise. LSU Astronomy Professor Brad Schaefer says for best viewing find a wide-open space away from light pollution and give your eyes at least ten minutes to adjust to the darkness.
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With optimal conditions, you can see one meteor a minute with the dashes of light emanating from the Perseid constellation.
The brilliant display comes courtesy of the Comet Swift-Tuttle’s yearly voyage around the sun. Schaefer says every year around August 12th the Earth’s orbit intersects with the trail of sand grains the comet leaves behind as it travels through the solar system.
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Schaefer says it’s unknown just how long the shower has existed, but Arabic records indicate it could be at least 800 years old.
The meteorites are hurtling through the solar system at 25-30 miles a second. Schaefer says the “shooting stars” are formed from the friction of the speeding objects crossing the Earth’s atmosphere…
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Louisiana sees a 59 percent decrease in the number of wildfires when comparing 2018 to 2008.
State Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain says Louisiana had 1,638 wildfires in 2008, but only 676 wildfires last year. He credits the substantial decrease to a successful public education campaign.
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The commissioner also credits a successful effort to do some controlled burns across the state for keeping light sparks from turning into massive infernos.
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The Department of Agriculture runs outreach programs that help landowners learn how to properly do a prescribed burn.
Arson cases are also down 82 percent, going from 893 in 2008 to 160 in 2018. Strain credits a cooperative effort between his department and the Fire Marshal for putting pyromaniacs behind bars.
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Strain says those 25 arson arrests were linked back to 5,240 acres of burned timberland.