Milder weather is expected for Acadiana into the weekend, but a quasi-stationary, waffling frontal boundary draped right along the I-10 corridor will keep a pretty good chance of scattered showers and a few thunderstorms in the forecast for our Thursday.
The warm front that passed northward through the area Wednesday will keep milder temperatures in the forecast overnight…along with the chance of scattered showers, perhaps a thunderstorm primarily during the evening hours as a disturbance aloft passes eastward through the area.
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In addition, sea-fog will likely form along the coast, with some of that working its way inland overnight.
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Thursday, the aforementioned warm front will become nearly stationary but will be dropping to the south to near the I-10 corridor and could be the focus for scattered showers and storms Thursday, although the latest models have not been showing much activity.
There will be a large variation of temperatures across Acadiana Thursday thanks to that front, with highs in the lower to mid 60s to the north, lower 70s near and south of the front.
The same front will make for slightly cooler temperatures into Thursday night and Friday morning, but will move back to the north Friday afternoon.
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Rain chances Friday, should be lower, near 20%, with temperatures rising into the mid-70s once again.
Saturday will be quite mild with temperatures reaching the upper 70s along with the chance of scattered, mainly daytime showers and a few thunderstorms.
Rain chances hopefully will diminish in time for the Krewe of Bonaparte Parade…no promises on the rain chances, but it will be mild with temperatures during the parade in the lower 70s…we won’t be able to say the same for the Monday and Tuesday parades.
A strong cold front will produce periods of rain and embedded thunderstorms Sunday, and perhaps, more likely behind the front, with sharply colder temperatures and windy conditions to follow.
Highs Sunday may reach the low to mid 70s early in the day, but will likely drop sharply into the mid-upper 30s by Monday morning.
Clouds look to stick around Monday, with windy conditions and highs in the mid-upper 40s expected.
Wind Chills Monday will likely start out in the upper 20s and stay in the 30s most of the day!
There is a very slim chance that a quick-moving upper disturbance could produce light rain showers, or perhaps a few sleet pellets, especially near the coast, Monday night but there will be no accumulations and the precipitation chances will be very brief.
Mardi Gras looks to become mostly sunny, breezy and quite cold for the first week of March with highs in the mid-upper 40s to near 50 and lows Tuesday night/Wednesday morning dropping to near the freezing mark!
There will still be a wind chill factor, especially for the early Mardi Gras Day parades, so dress warmly and in layers, and try to get your back to the north wind!
After a frosty start, look for sunny and cool, cloudless sky Ash Wednesday, with less wind, making the highs near the lower 50s feel that much milder.
Clouds will return quickly by Thursday, with a gradual warm up into next weekend with perhaps a good chance of storms shaping up for the following weekend, especially Sunday…and there could be a severe weather potential with that system…something that bears watch down the road.
