Humidity has made its entrance into Louisiana this week, but we haven’t experienced any severe weather like we did last week when storms did damage in St. Landry Parish, Slidell, and Lake Charles. Clouds have lingered and morning lows haven’t dipped below 70 degrees. KATC meteorologist Daniel Phillips described the high temperatures in the Lafayette area this week as “flirting with the 90 degree mark.” It certainly felt like it.

Humidity will drop early next week as a system drags in drier, cooler air by Monday. The rain that will precede that frontal system Saturday night into Sunday shouldn’t pose any significant threats in terms of storms.

If you’re planning a weekend escape to see sun and sand, you will be in luck for Saturday. Pleasant temperatures and some sun are forecast at the most popular beach destinations for Louisiana folks.

 What is the Beach Forecast for Gulf Shores, Pensacola, and Destin This Weekend?

The temperatures across the Alabama Gulf Coast and in the most eastern part of the Florida panhandle will get up to near 80 each day. When you wake up to enjoy your coffee on the patio or balcony, expect the temperature to be a balmy 72 to 74 degrees.

Rain chances are higher in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach on Sunday, with only isolated showers predicted for Pensacola Beach and Destin. As we seasoned beach-goers know, rain seems to scoot around the beach, so you may get lucky. Sunshine may be in short supply as partly to mostly cloudy skies are in the forecast for each location. Be careful, though! Clouds and the beach are a perfect recipe for a sunburn. Just ask me.

Rip current risks have dropped at Alabama and Florida beaches for this weekend. The National Weather Service at Mobile predicts a low rip current risk on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. You can see their forecast below.

What is the Beach Forecast for Galveston, Texas This Weekend?

If you’re headed to Galveston, you’ll enjoy a relatively nice day on Saturday with a high of 78. The front will start its jaunt across the Deep South, and Galveston will see showers overnight Saturday and into Sunday as a result. While Sunday may not be a complete washout, you should expect on and off rain all day. Then it will get cooler and breezier.

According to the website SwellInfo, the water will get choppy Saturday afternoon and continue to be so through Sunday. Enjoy Saturday morning before the rain and wind begins.

No bacteria warnings are posted for Galveston or the Texas Gulf Coast right now, so that’s a bit of good news.

What is the Beach Forecast for the Mississippi Gulf Coast This Weekend?

The Mississippi Gulf Coast and Biloxi may not see any of the rain until later Sunday, so Saturday would be a nice day for some sand castle fun. Bring cold beverages, as temperatures will climb above 80 on Saturday.

Feel free to swim in the Gulf of Mexico all you want in Biloxi and Gulfport. There are some advisories to the west, though, near Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis.

What is the Beach Forecast for Louisiana Beaches This Weekend?

In terms of the weather, the forecast calls for showers Saturday night and more on Sunday and Monday. Sound familiar? Yeah. It’s essentially the same from Galveston to Destin, with slight variations in rain chances. If you’d like to stick closer to home but want the sand between your toes, you’ll find the weather great for some outdoor fun on Saturday.

As we mentioned last week, the beach and water quality reports from the Louisiana Department of Health aren’t being issued yet.

Have fun. Be safe. Wear sunscreen. Enjoy the less-than-90-degree weather while it lasts!

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – New research shows that sexually transmitted infections are on the rise in Louisiana.

The CDC ranks Louisiana seventh in the U.S. for cases of congenital syphilis, number three for gonorrhea and No. 1 for chlamydia cases.

Overall, the Bayou State sits at No. 2 for the highest STI rate in the country.

To put it in perspective, per 100,000 people, more than 1,200 have been diagnosed with one or more sexually transmitted infections.

“At Access, we see gonorrhea, chlamydia testing every single day. It’s actually way more frequent than most people actually realize,” Access Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Samantha Marceaux said.

Marceaux and her team have treated thousands of patients for these infections.

“Two to five per day, we’re open seven days a week. I mean, it’s a pretty significant number, especially for how small Southwest Louisiana is,” Marceaux said.

Marceaux believes one of the main reasons Louisiana has continued to climb the ranks is due to the lack of education like in other states such as Vermont, which has the lowest rate of STIs.

“I think you know some people just truly understand STDs. I think we take maybe the lack of education for granted. I think, you know, that education should start in school-age kids because kids are having sex at a very young age right now, and I don’t think they’re mature enough to do so,” Marceaux said.

Some of the symptoms aligned with these infections are visible or physical, but that’s not always the case.

“You can be completely asymptomatic and not necessarily know that you have it,” Marceaux said.

Medical professionals said don’t let the stigma around these issues prevent you from treating them.

“You can get very serious, very serious infections, you know, women or men, from sexually transmitted diseases, so it’s definitely something that you want to treat as soon as you have those initial symptoms or as soon as you know about the exposure,” Marceaux said.

These infections are mostly preventable with the appropriate measures. Untreated STIs can lead to complications that may be deadly.

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