Acadiana will enter a wet pattern over the first couple of weeks of the new year, with a chilly, wet night ahead for the area for starters.
An area of low pressure traversing the Gulf of Mexico overnight into Wednesday will bring a shield of rain to the area after midnight.
Mostly moderate rain is expected, but there could be localized heavy downpours and perhaps a rumble of thunder during the predawn morning hours Wednesday.
Activity is expected to taper by mid-morning Wednesday.
No flooding or any severe weather is expected with roughly an inch accumulation expected area-wide give or take 1/2".
Lesser amounts will likely be found for the northern parishes while up to 1.5-2" could be possible in isolated spots along and south of the I-10 corridor.
We may have a little sun return for Wednesday afternoon, but overall it will be a breezy and chilly period with lows overnight in the low-mid 40s accompanied by highs Wednesday barely reaching the lower 50s.
Clearing skies are expected Wednesday night with temperatures dropping into the low-mid 30s Thursday morning.
Thursday looks to be a nice and cool day before the next weather-maker arrives Friday.
Friday's system should come with a bigger soaking of at least 1-2" and their may be more thunder involved, but also it should not bring an overt severe weather threat.
However, more rains Friday could come with some localized street flooding.
The good news is that the weekend looks nice, quiet and seasonable.
The bad news: another wet and potentially stormier weather system will be possible next Monday and perhaps again toward the end of next week.
At least the area will continue to see more dents in the 2023 drought.
See the KATC 10 Day Forecast for the latest.
Meanwhile, in climate news: The stats are in, and no surprise, 2023 hottest year on record for Lafayette/Acadiana with every heat record broken...and by a lot!
Records obliterated included:
-Hottest months of June, July, August and September.
-Hottest all-time temperatures of 110° on August 27.
-Consecutive & total number of 90° days.
-Consecutive 100° days broken twice 17, and then 11 after a one day break!
-Total number of 100° days of 33 also exceeded the number of 100° days over the last 40 years cumulatively of 32!
Why was it so incredibly hot? Let's start a plain and simple natural and persistent high pressure ridge this summer.
Our temperatures however, have been increasingly amplified by an increasingly hotter Gulf of Mexico as compared to the last 100 years, and the rest of the oceans and atmosphere around the world.
Our top 3 hottest years, over the last 130, have occurred in the last 8 years: 2023, 2017 & 2016.
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