Lafayette Weather – Stormy Friday, Seasonable Weekend

An upper level low pressure system is currently sliding southeastward from Texas toward Louisiana. This system will be the catalyst for showers and some significant thunderstorms over the next 12- 24 hours.

Most of the precipitation associated with this slow moving system will be in the form of scattered showers and thunderstorms. Some of those thunderstorms could be capable of producing gusty winds, small hail and locally heavy downpours.

The current radar scan at the time of this narrative, about 3am, showed much of the activity was still in Texas. There were a few showers east of Alexandria Louisiana but  most of the rain was still west of Lake Charles and pushing this way.

The combination of the instability in the atmosphere generated by the  upper level low and the daytime heating is the reason why forecasters have the rain chances elevated to a 50%-60% probability.

Dave Baker's forecast from KATC TV 3 suggests that after today the chances of rain in the area will return to the more seasonable chance of a widely scattered afternoon or early evening shower or thunderstorm. As the rain chances drop to 20% or less you can expect the temperatures to rise to at least 90 degrees or better in the afternoon. This seasonable pattern is expected to remain in the area through much of the next work week.