Dry Air And Brisk Winds Raise Louisiana Fire Danger This Weekend

(KMDL-FM) Later today and over the weekend, two frontal systems will move through Louisiana and the Gulf South. The frontal passages will bring much colder weather, and conditions will become quite breezy. This has many professional firefighters across Louisiana concerned.

The reasons for that concern are multifaceted. Cooler temperatures mean people will want to light fireplaces. Over the weekend, that will mean outdoor fires in fire pits, grills, and campfires. That's not where the elevated danger comes in, but this is certainly where it starts.

When the frontal systems pass, you can expect wind speeds to pick up. We all know how moving air can affect a fire. There will be plenty of air moving across Louisiana this weekend. The parts of the state where the wind will blow the most are also the parts of the state where conditions are at their worst as far as drought is concerned.

Could A Prolonged Drought Affect Louisiana's Crawfish Season?

Some of our sources at the LSU AgCenter have spoken, off the record, about concerns that a prolonged drought could affect the upcoming crawfish season. It wasn't that long ago that the area was hit by a severe drought, and that made for a very expensive season for crawfish lovers.

The crawfish need water and mud to get through the winter. They also need cool but not necessarily freezing temperatures to help them through their life cycle. Then once they've matured and gotten big and delicious, they need, okay, we need the temperatures to warm up and get them moving. So, no one cold front won't be a problem, but a prolonged drought could be devastating.

Other Than The Fire Danger, The Weekend Should Be Wonderful

If it weren't for the fire danger, this really would be a chamber of commerce type forecast for the next few days. Take a look at this graphic prepared by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles. Look at those Relative Humidity numbers. Humidity is the amount of moisture in the air; normally that's unbearable in South Louisiana, but not this weekend.

The dry air coupled with dry vegetation and a brisk breeze only needs one spark to become a raging wildfire. Make sure that spark doesn't come from your campfire, fire pit, grill, discarded cigarette, metal equipment dragging behind your truck, or from some other ignition source.

The good news is that rain chances will return to the area Sunday, but more likely on Monday. Until then, be careful outdoors, especially with fire. I'm sure all this talk about dry weather has you thirsty now, so let's get something to drink- want to?

Happy Hour in Lafayette - 9 Favorites the Locals Love

Happy Hour, that magical moment where time bends and stretches because we know Happy Hour lasts longer than 60 minutes. In Lafayette, Louisiana, we know a thing or two about "happy," and we get our joie de vivre on almost every day at these amazing local businesses that offer a little something extra or added savings for the most beloved time of the day, "Quittin' Time." Here are nine places you've suggested to us, so we're sharing the good news with the rest of the class.

Gallery Credit: Bruce Mikells