No Rain Anytime Soon...

By Jay Grymes & Steve Caparotta

WAFB Storm Team QuickCast:

- staying mainly-dry through the weekend
- patchy fog each morning, upper 80°s to around 90° each afternoon

This morning’s wake-up fog was a bit more developed and widespread than we had anticipated yesterday ... and you can expect more of the same in the coming days. In fact, don’t be surprised to see Fog Advisories posted on one or more mornings through the week. If you live in or drive through some of those fog-prone locations, you might want to allow yourself a few minutes of extra drive time for the morning commutes this week.

Other than that, we don’t anticipate any notable changes to our forecast for the rest of the week and into the weekend.

We still expect morning lows and afternoon highs to slowly creep upward a degree or two over the course of the work week, with many WAFB neighborhoods flirting with their first 90° days of the year sometime this week. At the same time, dew point readings will remain in the 60°s -- at times in the mid to upper 60°s -- as we maintain a steady low-level southerly flow off the Gulf. The low-level moisture will not only make for a somewhat muggier feel to the air as the week progresses but also increase the morning fog potential.

So when can we expect a little rain? Not anytime soon.

The weekend outlook is a ‘dry’ one for just about everyone although we might see a blip or two on Titan9 Doppler by Sunday afternoon. We’ll also concede a spotty afternoon shower or two for Monday -- but in both cases, even if showers do develop they likely will be so limited as to have no real benefit for anyone. However, we’re a bit more optimistic about rain chances for Tuesday. Unfortunately, in this case, optimism only comes in the form of isolated afternoon showers with Tuesday’s rain chances set at a paltry 20%.

While the kids may enjoy the dry weather and sunshine, the lawns, gardens and landscaping are none too happy. Data from the LSU AgCenter’s climate network suggests optimal watering of roughly one-inch of rain (or more) per week given the warmth and sunshine of the past several days. Given our forecast, that will only happen with a little help from a lawn sprinkler!

And on a completely different note: a reminder that May is Motorcycle Awareness Month. Please watch for motorcycles while driving ... and be courteous to our bicycling friends too!