Soggy Scenario Means an Inside Weekend for South Louisiana

There is good news and bad news with our weather forecast for South Louisiana over the next couple of days. The good news is that model projections of a possible tropical system in the Gulf of Mexico next week have now shifted away from that scenario. The bad news is that there will still be an abundance of tropical moisture in the area.

That abundance of tropical moisture is brought to us through a weather phenomenon that meteorologists call the "Bermuda High". Okay, weathermen call it the Bermuda High meteorologists would call it the subtropical ridge. No matter what you call it circulation around it streams an awful lot of Gulf of Mexico moisture over the Gulf South.

That's the scenario we will be looking at for most of this weekend. As the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico is pushed up over the landmass, there is a good possibility that a sea breeze front could form. That sea breeze will likely move from along the coast and push northward across I-10 and into Central Louisiana, especially during the late morning and afternoon hours.

A sea breeze front or afternoon showers are not uncommon in South Louisiana during the summer months. However, the rain chances associated with a typical summer day are not nearly as high as they are forecast to be not only for the weekend but a large part of next week.

According to the National Weather Service Office in Lake Charles, rain chances for today will be at 60%. The chances increase to 70% for Saturday and 90% for Sunday. The threat of rain will diminish after sundown each day.

The Storm Prediction Center is not suggesting these episodes of daytime, air-mass thunderstorms will reach severe limits but quite often these storms do produce very heavy downpours and gusty winds. Of course, lightning is an issue with these kinds of storms too.

If you're wondering when we might catch a break from the rain? Well, it doesn't look as if it will be anytime soon. Long-range forecast models show an abundance of moisture over Louisiana at least through the end of next week. This is what KATC's Rob Perillo is thinking.

I just hope you got your grass cut recently because it might be a week or so until the yard will be dry enough to bring out the big mowers and trim down that hayfield that your front yard just might become.

Maybe you could stay inside and cook a gumbo. If you do, make sure you don't bring down any lightning from the Almighty by violating one of these sacred covenants.