A Little Cooler on Thursday & Friday

By Jay Grymes & Steve Caparotta

WAFB First Alert Quickcast:

- northerly flow means slightly cooler and even ‘drier’ air

- looking good through the weekend and into next week

- T.D. #9 headed into the Yucatan tonight

** Reminder **  Much of the U.S. will enjoy a partial eclipse of the sun tomorrow.  For Baton Rouge, the eclipse will begin just after 5pm and peak near 6pm!  Want to watch it with the pros?  Astronomers from the Highland Road Park Observatory and LSU will have equipment for viewing out at BREC’s Soccer Complex on the south end of Burbank Drive.

As for our weather: another beauty today -- we are definitely getting spoiled.  Yes, lots of us could use a shower or two to knock down the pollen and dust, but I think that most of us are quite pleased with our extended run of fair weather.  Today marks nine straight days with mainly sunny skies and highs in the 70°s and 80°s.

Yesterday we talked about a ‘dry’ front passing from north to south through the region, and that is exactly what happened earlier today.  Not only does that front deliver a ‘booster shot’ of low humidity but it sets up a weather situation where many of us will see morning lows near or below 50° for the next few mornings.  By the way, note that the ‘normal high’ for today in Baton Rouge is 79° -- while we can’t say no more ‘hot’ days for 2014, we’ve definitely crossed a ‘climatology’ threshold!

And STILL more great fall weather ahead right through this weekend: mainly sunny each day right through Sunday, comfortably low humidity, cool mornings and mild afternoons in upper 70°s to low 80°s.  For the weekend, LSU Homecoming on Saturday?  Just about perfect.  The Greater Baton Rouge State Fair?  Outstanding.

Our current extended forecast places a very slight chance of a shower or two next Tuesday or early Wednesday when our next front is scheduled to arrive, but even then we are talking about rain chances well under 20%.  Another 10+ days with without any rain?  Very possible.

Late last night, the National Hurricane Center upgraded Invest 93L to T.D. #9, suggesting that #9 would become a tropical storm sometime today.  Well, shearing winds kept T.D. #9 from developing a good convective cloak (wrap-around thunderstorms).  As a result, it looks like #9 will remain a depression as it makes landfall along the Campeche Coast of the Yucatan.  The low-pressure system is expected to cross the landmass and emerge over the western Caribbean by Friday.  At issue is whether the system will still be a depression by then.  Regardless, T.D. #9 offers no threat to Gulf interests within the next 7 days or more.