Louisiana Halloween Forecast Revised – Rain Likely, But When?
Those who dare to enter the darkness on this Halloween night in Louisiana will encounter a lot of "dangerous" things as they dart from house to house in search of candy tonight. Sure there will be barking dogs, poorly lit homes, and the occasional crack in the sidewalk or gigantic potholes in the street. But those might not be your biggest hurdle for tonight's festivities.
Whether you're in Breaux Bridge or Crowley, Opelousas or Abbeville, or New Iberia or Nunez, you're going to have to keep an eye on the sky before you hit the streets for tricks and treats tonight. The forecast for Louisiana includes a decent threat of rain. We haven't had too much rain over the past six weeks, so it is welcomed but we're not too thrilled with the timing.
What Time Will It Rain on Halloween in Louisiana?
That is a great question and we could answer that with some degree of accuracy, we'd be very wealthy and writing this article from a much nicer office. We can give you some parameters and some model guidance that might help you make a decision whether you want to trick-or-treat early, do it later, or not do it at all.
The above graphic is from the Weather Prediction Center, the green shaded area indicates what part of the state and the nation are under a threat of excessive rainfall. As you can see the central and northeastern portions of Louisiana appear to be in line for the heaviest rainfall.
We should note that the forecast graphic above is for the time period that begins at 7 am Halloween day through 7 am on November 1st. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles has increased the probability of rain across the forecast area today.
The NWS outlook calls for a threat of showers or a thunderstorm before 3 pm. However, the greatest threat of showers and storms across the I-10 corridor between Lake Charles and Baton Rouge will come between 3 pm and 7 pm. Unfortunately, that puts the biggest threat of inclement weather right in the heart of trick-or-treat times.
The hourly forecast from KATC Television suggests a "lull" in the rain threat in the late afternoon and early evening hours but all of these forecasts are based on computer models and while they are great forecast tools, sometimes the timing on the models can vary by several hours.
The hourly forecast from Accu-Weather is very similar to the KATC solution. They call for showers becoming more plentiful after 7 pm but there is still a significant threat of rain for the mid-afternoon hours as well.
Meanwhile, the hourly forecast from The Weather Channel calls for more numerous showers in the middle of the afternoon, before trick-or-treat times with rainfall becoming less likely during the early evening hours.
Will It Rain in Louisiana On Halloween?
Probably. In fact, I would hazard to guess that most of the state will see showers and storms today and Friday. It's the timing of when those rain and storms arrive that will determine the success or failure of Halloween trick-or-treating. Our best guess is this, plan on going on tonight. Check the radar, here's the link.
I would still carry an umbrella and perhaps double-check with the radar via our station app from time to time. Oh, and if your kids are using a paper bag to carry their candy remind them not to set that bag down on wet grass. I have lived the bottom blowout experience and it's not pleasant.
Keep Halloween Safe: Trick or Treating, Parties and Costumes
Gallery Credit: mwolfe