KATC StormTeam 3 Weather BLOG

We are still on track for the coldest temperatures of the season with Freeze Watches posted for the area for Tuesday and Wednesday nights.  The cold front will sweep across the area this evening but we will stay well above freezing tonight as the coldest air won’t be arriving here until Tuesday evening.  Most of Acadiana will see sub-freezing temperatures for several hours tomorrow night (with wind chills dropping to near 20) and for a solid 7-10 hours Wednesday night.  We will see a nice warm-up later next week into the weekend with highs back into the 60s Friday and 70s this weekend.  Rain chances will become slight this weekend with a better chance of showers and storms early to mid-next week.  Interestingly enough, there may be more cold weather on the way in about 9-10 days with a more “interesting” winter storm pattern developing with the next cold snap so stay tuned!  Also, check out the National Weather Service’s Weekly Weather Briefing; Sam Shamburger recounts the top 10 weather events of 2007 affecting SE Texas and SW Louisiana.  Happy New Year!  

Enjoy the nice and mild weather for our Monday as our temperatures plummet for a few days mid-week.  Expect highs tomorrow in the upper 60s to near 70 under mostly sunny skies but a “blue-norther” will develop tomorrow night with a strong, dry cold front crossing the region New Year’s Eve.  Windy and much colder conditions are anticipated for Tuesday with highs confined to the lower 50s while temperatures should drop into the mid-upper 20s for Tuesday and Wednesday nights.  I would expect subfreezing temperatures for at least 4-5 hours for both nights, and although night a pipe-busting cold for most, it will put a hurt on the local flora and fauna.  Highs on Wednesday will only reach the mid-40s!  The cold temperatures won’t last for very long with a nice warm-up expected for later in the week into next weekend with highs getting back into the lower 70s.  It looks like mostly dry conditions will prevail over the next week with very slight rain chances possible Friday into the weekend.

Our last weekend of 2007 will bring seasonable temperatures with the chance of rain again Saturday night into early Sunday.  Look for fair to partly cloudy skies through tomorrow with clouds increasing by Saturday evening.  There is some doubt about the quality of moisture available for the next weather system with mostly showers expected in Acadiana.  There may be some embedded thunderstorms possible mainly coastal parishes, offshore and to the east of Acadiana where dynamics will be best.  I’m not expecting any severe weather however with this next system.  While Saturday will be cool with highs in the 50s, I would expect temperatures to get back into the 60s for Sunday afternoon with partly sunny skies.  Monday will be balmy with highs reaching the low-mid 70s but a strong cold front will blow in for New Year’s Eve bring a brief shot of the coldest winter temperatures for this season Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  Highs will drop into the 40s to lower 50s mid-next week while lows are still on target to reach at least the upper 20s for Wednesday and Thursday mornings.  A return flow from the Gulf will commence by next Friday with highs getting back into the 70s for next weekend. 

Another vigorous storm system will be moving in late tonight bringing a good chance of scattered showers and thunderstorms for our Friday morning.  Like our Wednesday weather system, severe weather parameters will be marginal, but there will be the risk of some wind damaging storms.  So keep it tuned to KATC for the latest early tomorrow morning.  The activity will quickly move out by midday tomorrow with some partial clearing tomorrow afternoon and evening.  It will stay dry and seasonably cool with high clouds through Saturday, but another weather system will advance into the area Saturday night into Sunday bringing with it another opportunity for rain and storms.  A large dome of arctic air will develop over the lower 48 early next week with the coldest weather of the season likely for the mid-part of next week.  Early morning lows for Wednesday and Thursday next week may dip into the mid-20s while highs stay in the 40s.  Milder conditions will return late next week into the following weekend with rain and storms possible for next Friday.   

A line of storms moved through this afternoon as a result of another upper level disturbance and a very weak front. No severe weather was reported and as the storms move east, we will be left with lots of humidity overnight with temperatures back to normal. Thursday looks to be pleasant with partly cloudy skies in between systems but Thursday night another shortwave, or cold pocket of air aloft, will make our atmosphere unstable once again and another round of storms will push through. The showers should end by Friday afternoon and it should shape up to be a nice day with highs in the mid to upper 60s. Saturday night another area of low pressure with a weak cold front will move through bringing more rain. I plan to just carry my umbrella with me the next few days.

Enjoy your week!

Merry Christmas first and foremost. The cooler weather makes it feel like Christmas time but by Christmas day we will be back to 60 degrees. One thing you may have noticed at night is a bright reddish star beside the moon. That is Mars helping to light Santa’s way and this is the closest Mars will be to the Earth until 2016. So make sure you get out and see it before it becomes dimmer after December 29th. http://www.space.com/spacewatch/071221-ns-mars-moon.html Click here for more info.

Our weather will be returning to normal which is mid 60s through the week. Another front will approach but before it makes it to Acadiana it will stall on Friday providing enough instability to give us off and on rain chances until it passes early Sunday. Looks like perfect shopping weather which is what I’ll be doing AFTER Christmas!

Fog will be an issue again this evening but should lift right around daybreak as southeast winds should increase by that time.  Temperatures will hold steady in the mid-upper 50s through much of the night.  Saturday will be mostly cloudy, breezy and warm with highs reaching the upper 70s.  Scattered showers and a few storms will be possible tomorrow afternoon ahead of a strong front that will allow our temperatures to cool into the lower 40s by Sunday morning.  It will be sunny, windy and cool for Sunday with highs only reaching the mid-50s.  Frosty conditions will be possible Sunday night into Monday morning with another quick moving system approaching for Monday night.  Patchy rain will be possible Christmas Eve and early Christmas Day, while highs are expected to stay in the mid-upper 50s for Christmas.  Additional disturbances will be likely later next week with a good chance of showers and storms on Wednesday and then again next Friday.  After tomorrow temperatures will be seasonably cool for the rest of the month/year with perhaps a few shots of colder weather around New Years and again a few days later.  Have a great weekend and a very Merry Christmas!    

As expected, strong storms rolled across the region with heavy rains, lightning and gusty winds.  Fortunately we did not see any severe weather locally but this was not the case over Southern Mississippi where there were numerous reports of wind damage today.  In the wake of all the wet weather, and with fair skies moving in, a Dense Fog Advisory has been posted for Rapides, Evangeline, Acadia, Vermilion, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, Iberia and St Mary Parishes.  Drier and slightly cooler air is moving in but there may not be enough of a push behind today’s weather system to scour out the fog later tonight.  Tomorrow will bring sunny skies after whatever fog is still around during the early morning with seasonably mild temperatures in the low-mid 70s for tomorrow afternoon.  It will be breezy and warmer for Saturday with highs reaching the upper 70s to near 80 before a cold front sweeps through the area late in the day.  Another brief round of showers and storms will be possible by Saturday evening with breezy and cooler conditions likely for Sunday.  It will be sunny and dry Sunday but clouds will be on the increase for Monday with another round of rain developing Christmas Eve into Christmas Day.  The pattern will stay active through much of next week so I would expect cool conditions, plenty of clouds and occasional rain chances.

A fast moving storm system will develop in Texas later tonight and will race across the Arklatex and Louisiana tomorrow.  Showers and storms will develop by daybreak with storms likely tomorrow morning through the mid-afternoon hours.  Some storms may be potentially severe with a severe weather watch possible for Acadiana by morning.  Since the wind fields are quite strong with this system there will be the risk of damaging winds and or the possibility of an isolated tornado so be on the look out.  Storms will end by mid-afternoon with mild and sedate weather expected for Friday.  Another system will approach Saturday yielding another round of potentially hefty storms late Saturday into Saturday night.  It will stay quite warm through Saturday with highs in the mid-70s through Friday and possibly near 80 on Saturday.  Cooler and drier with will move in for Sunday but the latest computer models are now indicating the possibility of an over-running rain event for Christmas Eve but the system should move out for Christmas Day.  The forecast for next week may be quite changeable with quick-moving systems dancing along the sub-tropical and polar jet streams.  We should at least see cooler than normal conditions and plenty of clouds for much of next week.

Our weather pattern will continue to warm up through tomorrow with fog an issue for some areas overnight tonight, especially over the southwestern-most parishes of the state.  A Dense Fog Advisory has been issued for Jeff Davis, Allen and Cameron Parishes with additional areas likely to see some sort of at least light fog by morning.  Temperatures will hold steady in the mid-upper 50s to lower 60s tonight and should rise into the mid-70s tomorrow under partly to mostly cloudy skies.  There will be a slight chance of a few passing showers Wednesday with more active weather likely late Wednesday night.  A vigorous upper level disturbance in Southern California this evening will race eastward along a 100+kt sub-tropical jet stream bringing a good chance of storms to the area Wednesday night into early Thursday.  The Storm Prediction Center has us hatched in for a slight risk of severe storms associated with the strong wind dynamics of this next system.  Damaging winds and hail may be a possibility so we’ll keep an eye on this one.  Conditions should dry by Thursday afternoon with mostly cloudy and warm conditions likely for Friday.  Another strong cold front will bring another round of storms, possibly severe again, with colder temperatures returning for Sunday into Monday…interestingly enough, the temperature regime for this coming Sunday and Monday looks like a repeat of this past weekend.  Christmas Day will be dry and seasonably cool with a morning start in the upper 30s with highs reaching the low-mid 60s.  Another weather system should get here by the 26^th.  The pattern will likely stay active through the first week of January, with healthy storm systems rolling through every 3-4 days, followed by nice chill downs.