Louisiana Will Be Wet and Cold This Weekend – How Wet, How Cold?

Mother Nature has a wonderful weekend of weather planned for us in Louisiana. Of course, the term "wonderful" is relative to whatever plans you and your family might have. We opted for the word "wonderful" because after a busy week that included Mardi Gras and Valentine's Day the weather will cooperate with those who don't want to have too much to do.

The only problem with that is this, there is plenty to do in South Louisiana this weekend and the weather could affect that. I am speaking mainly of the beginning of the college baseball season. LSU will be in action in Baton Rouge this weekend. The Ragin Cajuns of U.L. will host Wright State in Lafayette, and the McNeese Cowboys are right down the road at College Station to take on the Aggies of Texas A&M.

You've probably deduced that this weekend's weather will include a threat of rain and maybe a thunderstorm. The thunder and lightning could certainly wreak havoc on baseball and softball schedules around the state but for the arm-weary bead thrower who needs to drink something non-alcoholic this weekend, a shower or thunderstorm seems like a great excuse to rest.

How Much Rain Will Fall in Louisiana This Weekend?

Here's what we can expect for the weekend. The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles has laid it out quite nicely for those of us who learn by looking.

As you can see the outlook for the communities along and near I-10 this weekend is for mostly light rain. Only a few areas will get more than half an inch over the next few days. This should settle the dust and dander but keep temperatures cool.

How Cold Will It Be In Louisiana This Weekend?

The storm system that is producing the light rain for later today and during the day on Saturday will also usher in some colder temperatures for the state. Much of Louisiana was very close to the freezing mark on Mardi Gras morning and it looks as if we'll be close to that in many locations by early Sunday too.

As you can see from the graphic the threat of sub-freezing temperatures does extend as far south as I-10 but the better chances of dropping below the freezing mark will be more to the north, along the Highway 28 corridor in CENLA.

Sunday should rebound nicely with abundant sunshine but still quite cool. The afternoon high on Sunday is only expected to reach into the middle 50s. Next week will bring much warmer temperatures to South Louisiana by the middle of next week we can expect high temperatures to reach near 80 degrees and the outlook for the remainder of February is calling for above-normal temperatures. Hmm, maybe that Groundhog was right?