Turning Drier by Late Tuesday

By Jay Grymes & Steve Caparotta

Monday’s rains really weren’t all that bad, in that for many neighborhoods it has been dry since Isaac’s unwelcomed visit. While many areas received from 1” to 2” of rain through the day, so far we’ve not had any serious problems with roadways for the evening drive home.

A combination of a surface low near the coast and an upper-level low over SE Texas like we have today would normally be a real problem for us, but a “dry slot” has developed to our west, causing a tapering of the rains through the afternoon. We’ll keep scattered to isolated rains in the evening forecast, then go with mainly isolated rains in the overnight and early morning.

The tougher part of tomorrow’s forecast is what to make of the afternoon. For now, we’ll go with isolated showers in the early part of the afternoon with clearing underway by the late afternoon or early evening.

The current weather-makers -- the surface and upper-level lows -- will be moving to the east tomorrow, but at the same time our next cool front will be dropping southward through the state. So we’ll keep a slight chance of rain in the forecast as there could be just enough moisture still left from the pair of lows to fuel some afternoon showers as the front slides through the viewing area. In addition, it looks like the front will slow a bit as it moves through the southern parishes.

But once the front moves far enough south, skies should clear and we get a dose of notably cooler and less humid air, making for a couple of beautiful fall-like days for Wednesday and Thursday.

A brief warm-up will set-in for Friday into Saturday, but our next front arrives Saturday and delivers another shot of cool, dry continental air for next Sunday and Monday. Once again, we think that Saturday’s front will be a mostly dry passage, with only isolated showers.

We’re still watching Nadine as she continues to spin over the central Atlantic. While Nadine offers no immediate threat to land, residents of the Azores will remain on guard. Interestingly, Nadine may take a may turn back to the south before reaching the Azores.