Wetter Pattern Persists This Week

By Jay Grymes & Steve Caparotta

As of 3PM, we hadn’t seen anything close to the rain coverage over the WAFB viewing area that was expected for today (Monday), even though a few showers and t-storms started popping in the greater Baton Rouge metro area. By 4PM it was clear that most of us would miss out on rain today and that the evening commute would be a mainly-dry one for most. And after the excessive downpours and lightning-charged t-storms that moved through portions of the Baton Rouge metro area on Sunday, I doubt anyone minds.

Thankfully, the persistent upper-level ridge that baked not just Louisiana -- but much of the nation -- over the past many weeks has finally relented, contracted and shifted to the west, taking the cap off of our atmosphere. With that high-pressure “lid” removed, our warm-and-moist Gulf air will be allowed to do its normal summer season rain “magic” throughout the week and into the weekend. If you’re going to be out and about, especially in the afternoons, make sure that your umbrella goes along for the trip.

We will keep rain chances at or above July norms through the coming seven days, with probabilities posted at 40% to 50% right through the work week, the weekend and early next week. Morning lows will remain in the low to mid 70°s, with afternoon highs in the upper 80°s to low 90°s. The highs will be dependent on where -- and how early -- the first clouds and showers develop each day.

With the afternoon and early evening storms “working over” the atmosphere (stabilizing the atmosphere), rains should die down by or soon after sunset each day for just about everyone, Most morning drives will be muggy but dry for inland sites, although we could see showers in the early morning hours along the coast just about every day.

And the tropics? Things have certainly picked up in the eastern Pacific, with hurricanes Daniel and Emilia going strong, but the Atlantic remains rather quiet, with not so much as an “area of interest” to watch according to the National Hurricane Center. And no one should be complaining about that!