Another Freeze for Thursday AM

By Jay Grymes & Steve Caparotta

WAFB First Alert Quickcast:

- freezes return for Thursday morning

- warming trend begins Friday

- 70°s by the weekend, but accompanied by rain

It was a cold start to the day, with upper 20°s for the Red Stick under clear skies.  While the skies stayed clear all day today, northwest winds kept shuttling Arctic air into the area, slowing the rate of daytime warming.  Most of us did manage to reach the mid 50°s, which felt pretty good compared to yesterday’s highs in the 40°s.

Skies stay clear overnight, with a ‘dry’ cold front sliding through the state that reinforces the chilly air already in place.  That should mean even lower temperatures for Thursday’s sunrise, prompting a series of Freeze Warnings for areas south of metro Baton Rouge and Hard Freeze Warnings to the north and east of the Capital City.

To be sure, while much of the viewing area is not ‘officially’ under a Warning, just about everyone drops below freezing tonight for a number of hours.

Skies will stay clear again for Thursday, with temperatures slowly climbing through the day and getting into the low 50°s for the afternoon.  Winds will begin to come around to the east and southeast late Thursday into Friday and we’ll say “Goodbye!” to freezing temperatures, at least for a while.  Although a warming trend begins Friday, many WAFB neighborhoods will still slip down into the mid to upper 30°s for Friday’s start, with clouds on the return through the day.  Temperatures around the Capital City should reach the mid 60°s for Friday afternoon, with rain chances sneaking into the 20% range during the latter part of the day.

Our forecast comes with good news and bad news for the weekend: expect a return to the 70°s for both afternoons but have the umbrella within reach for both days.  We’re posting a 50-50 chance for rain in your backyard on Saturday, with those percentages rising to 50% to 60% or better for Sunday as our next cold front heads this way.  For the time being, we don’t anticipate a severe weather threat with Sunday’s front, but we’ll keep a watch as the day draws nearer.

And behind the Sunday front?  Back to winter again, with highs in the 50°s for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and lows dipping to near freezing for Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.

So the temperature rollercoaster continues with a reminder that it’s still very much wintertime even down here along the Gulf Coast!