Severe Storms Moving Through Louisiana This Morning
Notifications of severe weather watches and warnings have been jolting Louisiana residents out of their slumber for most of last night and early this morning. And, it doesn't look as if the threat of strong to severe storms will end in the state until lunchtime or shortly thereafter.
That's a snapshot of the National Weather Service composite radar that was taken at 0300 this morning. You can see just how large this storm system is and the places it's about to move through.
As of 0300 this morning the leading edge of the strongest storms was about to cross the Sabine River into Louisiana. Based on the timing the Lake Charles area will start to feel the effects of the strongest storms by 0400. The Lafayette area should begin to feel the worst of the weather a little closer to 0600.
This line of storms has produced severe thunderstorm warnings in the overnight hours and judging by their intensity as indicated by radar we do expect more warnings to be posted with at least some of these storms as they move through the area.
Just to give you an idea of how drastically temperatures behind the storms and the cold front that is the catalyst for them have dropped take a look at what has happened in Shreveport over the past 12 hours. At midnight in Shreveport, the temperature at the airport was almost 64 degrees. The 0300 reading from the Shreveport area showed the temperature had plummeted to 48 degrees in just three hours.
In South Louisiana, we can expect a similar change in conditions as the frontal system moves through the area. So, after the rain and thunderstorms move out of the area by mid-morning you can expect a strong northerly breeze to blow in across the area. That will drop temperatures quickly and keep the remainder of the day on the cool side.
For those who are planning on attending Patty in the Parc in Downtown Lafayette as part of today's St. Patrick's Day festivities, you'll want a jacket. Temperatures when the gates open at 5:30 tonight will be in the lower 50s and the winds will still be gusty. However, we don't anticipate any rain. Regardless, the organizers of Patty in the Parc say the event will go on, rain or shine.
The remainder of the weekend should remain on the cool side as well. Temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will only climb into the 50s while overnight lows will be in the 40s on Saturday and near freezing on Sunday. But don't put your flip-flops away just yet, we'll be back in the 80s in South Louisiana by the end of next week.
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