By Jay Grymes & Steve CaparottaWAFB Storm Team QuickCast:
- good rain chances for Wednesday & Thursday- a little “quieter” for Friday & the weekend
A cluster of healthy storms that formed over Acadiana around the lunch hour held together and tracked east-northeast, reaching portions of the WAFB viewing area by the mid-afternoon. Several of the core storms were highly “electrified” and we did see Severe Thunderstorm Warnings posted for a few areas (St. Landry, Avoyelles, Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, northern Tangipahoa parishes and southern Pike Co.).
And if you happened to get caught beneath one of the stronger afternoon cells you certainly had to deal with a serious downpour or two as well as some vivid lightning. There were even a few reports of wind damage around the area, including 2 minor injuries to infants in Kentwood when a tree fell on a house and some of the falling ceiling material caused some scratches.
Most WAFB neighborhoods can expect a dry but muggy start to Wednesday with mostly cloudy skies and patches of mainly-light early morning fog. Sunrise temps should be in the low to mid 70°s for most WAFB communities. But rains will be more widespread for Wednesday … and Thursday.
The high-pressure ridging that has limited afternoon storm development over the last several days will take a short vacation from our viewing area, allowing for scattered to numerous afternoon and early evening rains for the next two days. We’ll post rain chances at 60% to 70% -- which means that most neighborhoods will get at least a little rain. These won’t be all-day rains, just a broader coverage each day. The better rain chances also mean that most or all of us top-out in the 80°s for the next two afternoons.
As we head into Friday and the weekend, the guidance indicates that the high will sneak back into the weather mix, once again limiting -- but not shutting-off -- the opportunity for afternoon rains. We’ll go with a 30% rain chance for Friday, Saturday and Sunday -- back to something more typical for late June. That also means that the 90°s will return for the weekend as well.
It’s Lightning Awareness Week, and we note that Louisiana ranks among the deadliest states for lightning when weighted by population size. There have been 17 lightning-related fatalities in the Bayou State since 2000 (14+ years), just over one-per-year, on average. All of the victims were males, most were adults (age 21 or older), all were outside at the time of the accident … and in many cases, witnesses say that it was not raining when the deadly strike occurred.
Lightning safety is simple: when you see a flash or hear a rumble, go inside! Inside can also be a car, a bus … anything enclosed (with the windows up if it’s a vehicle).
All is still quiet in the tropics, with the NHC calling for no development through the next five days, at least.
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