Sunday downpour pushes July total past 8 inches

Portions of Bogalusa and eastern Washington Parish received an inch or more of rain Sunday afternoon as heavy thunderstorms literally blew through with high winds that stripped some smaller limbs from trees and left water standing in streets.

The one-inch recorded in northeast Bogalusa raised the rainfall total for July to 8.05 inches and was the sixth time during the month that at least one-half inch had been recorded.

While Washington Parish remains in a severe drought, the July rainfall erased 2.38 inches of the deficit, as the historic average for the month is 5.67 inches.

The weather forecast heading into August is for an extreme heat advisory on Monday with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms Monday afternoon and evening. Highs are forecast to be in the mid-90s with the heat index reaching between 103 and 110 degrees. Because of that, the National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat advisory until 7 p.m. Monday.

Temperatures are forecast to be in the low-to-mid 90s through Thursday with rain chances no greater than 30 percent.

Tangipahoa escapee turns himself in

Sedrick Smith, 33, who escaped from custody on July 22 while being transported to the Catahoula Parish Jail, turned himself in to U.S. Marshals early Sunday.

Sedrick Smith

Smith, of Greensburg, was in jail on armed robbery charges and surrendered to Marshalls in Livingston Parish and was booked into the Livingston Parish Jail on fugitive charges from Tangipahoa Parish.

Smith somehow broke free of his shackles, assaulted the transport deputy, broke the rear window of the transport vehicle and escaped on foot. An intense manhunt ensued for about 30 hours before Tangipahoa Parish officials called in off, speculating that Smith had headed west towards Baton Rouge.

In addition to his charges of armed robbery, Smith now faces charges of aggravated escape and second-degree battery on a police officer.