Acadiana Under Marginal Risk For Severe Storms Tonight
An approaching cold front is arriving a few hours earlier than what forecasters were thinking yesterday. That means that the worst of the weather the could affect Acadiana will likely happen in the overnight hours of tonight instead of the daylight and very busy travel hours of tomorrow.
The Storm Prediction Center has plotted out a large portion of the nation's midsection as the target for strong storms and severe weather today. South Louisiana is included in that swath but fortunately for us, forecasters don't think our severe storm threat will be that great.
That doesn't mean we can't rule out some gusty winds, some lightning and thunder, and maybe a torrential downpour for a few minutes. It does mean that by the time most people who are planning on traveling for Thanksgiving load up their cars on Wednesday that the heaviest weather will have passed.
The outlook for today suggests that the morning hours will not be too bad, as far as weather is concerned. However, conditions start to deteriorate the later in the day we get. By tonight there's an 80% probability that showers and storms will affect South Louisiana. Those rain chances decrease during the day on Wednesday.
The outlook for Thanksgiving Thursday is greatly improved. You should be able to utilize your outdoor seating if you need the space to accommodate a large gathering of friends and family. The forecast for Thursday is calling for partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the lower 70s.