Keep An Eye Out For Funnel Clouds Across South Louisiana

(KMDL-FM) The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles has issued a special weather statement for most of South Louisiana and a good portion of southeastern Texas today. That weather statement warns of the possible formation of funnel clouds over the area during the afternoon and early evening hours.

READ MORE: Which Louisiana Parishes Get the Most Tornadoes

The special weather statement covers Louisiana's coastline from Morgan City all the way westward to the Texas line. In southeastern Texas, the area of concern goes almost as far west as Galveston Island.

Why Are Funnel Clouds Expected in Louisiana Today?

The atmospheric conditions over this part of the northern Gulf Coast will be conducive to the development of tropical funnel clouds. The setup works like this. The air over the northern Gulf is saturated with moisture. Wind conditions at the surface and just above it are light and variable.

When these conditions interact with outflow boundaries from thunderstorms or the seabreeze, this can create a rotation in the atmosphere. That's where the clouds get their "spin". From that spin, the rotational cloud then drops from the base of the cloud in a shape that resembles a funnel.

What's The Difference Between a Funnel Cloud and a Tornado?

To be sure, there is a big difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado on the ground. The speculation is that these rotating currents of air will stay above the Earth's surface, so there is not an expectation of severe weather or strong thunderstorms today.

READ MORE: Which States Get the Most Tornadoes - Where Does Louisiana Rank? 

However, Mother Nature can be fickle, and we simply can't rule out that one of the thunderstorms that might form this afternoon could drop a funnel to the ground. Should that happen, the speculation is that the system would be rather weak but could cause damage to outbuildings or knock down a few limbs, but in most cases, these tropical air mass funnel clouds do not generate tornadoes.

Should one of these rotational storms generate a funnel that reaches the ground, a tornado warning could be issued by the National Weather Service. You'll want to have our station app and have Breaking News and Weather Alerts turned on. If you don't have the app, you can find it right here. 

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Conditions tomorrow and on Thursday should actually be more inclement as rain chances are expected to be much higher. There is also a stronger potential for flooding rains during storms on Wednesday and Thursday. The current thinking is that Louisiana will be out of this wet pattern by the weekend, with only minimal chances of afternoon or early evening showers and thunderstorms. 

And since those showers and storms will kick up mud and road grime, we figured you'd need this list too.