Sunshine Returns Friday!

By Jay Grymes & Steve Caparotta

WAFB Storm Team QuickCast:

- rains continue to wind down this afternoon & evening

- many drop into the upper 30°s once again by Friday’s sunrise

- mostly sunny, much warmer for Friday .. and Saturday 

Today was just another in our all-too-frequent cloudy, damp and chilly days that seem to have dominated this “endless” winter.  Not only did most of us miss out on the 50°s for the afternoon but lots of WAFB neighborhoods were struggling just to hang onto the mid 40°s over the last several hours!  What’s more, even where Titan9 Doppler was showing no radar return, low clouds were generating pockets of fine mist, making it feel even colder than the thermometer said.

The last of the light rains will end from west-to-east during the evening and the mist should subside later tonight as well.  However, low clouds and north winds will keep things chilly through the night, with lows in the 30°s for just about everyone living near and north of the I-10/12 corridor.  The good news -- if that’s what you want to call it -- is that no one should be dealing with freezes, although we could see some mid 30°s -- even a couple of lower 30°s – reported out of our Mississippi counties.

The clouds will thin through the night, with partly cloudy skies for the morning start.  We could see some patchy fog tomorrow morning as well but probably not enough to be a concern for the morning commute.  Skies continue to clear through the day, with a mostly sunny Friday afternoon on the way and highs for metro Baton Rouge in the low to mid 60°s.

Weekend Outlook

Even with a return of clouds, Saturday looks good under a sun/cloud mix with highs around 70°.  By Sunday, the energy from a storm system currently over the western U.S. will send a cold front towards the Lower Mississippi Valley.  The main storm energy should remain well to our north but the front will provide just enough lift to generate scattered showers and possibly even a few thunderstorms.  For now at least, there does not appear to be a severe-weather threat with Sunday’s front ... and rain totals for most should remain well below one-half-inch.  The clouds and showers on Sunday will keep highs in the 60°s for many.

Extended Outlook

Sunday’s front dissipates near the coast on Monday with our next front organizing over the U.S. Plains by early Tuesday.  That boundary looks like it arrives in the viewing area late Tuesday into the pre-dawn hours Wednesday.  A cool, Pacific air mass behind that mid-week front will take daily highs back down into the low 60°s for Thursday, but it looks like we should stay mainly-dry into the following weekend.