Scattered showers and a few storms remain in the forecast for Acadiana Wednesday, with periods of rain likely behind a strong cold front into Thursday morning, and a winter chill likely for "trick or treaters" Thursday evening.
Warmer temperatures will continue to move into the region courtesy of southerly winds with the risk of some scattered showers overnight (near 40%) and a 60% chance of scattered showers and a few thunderstorms Wednesday.
A strong cold front will arrive in the area Wednesday night with a better chance of periods of rain and perhaps a few embedded storms behind the front tomorrow night into early Thursday morning.
The Storm Prediction Center continues to maintain a marginal risk of a few isolated severe storms primarily from Lafayette northwestward Wednesday into Thursday morning where one or two storms may produce gusty, damaging winds ahead of the front.
In addition, atmospheric profiles will also support the possibility a few storms following the front into Wednesday night that could produce some small (but not damaging) hail.
A good soaking is possible for Acadiana through Thursday morning with a wide range between 1/2' to 2" or more in spots+, but latest the latest RPM Model keying in a bigger soaking for NOLA/Eastern Louisiana, where storms might get cooking as early as overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning.
Most rains will end across Acadiana by midday Thursday with sharply colder temperatures (by Acadiana's standards) moving in for Halloween afternoon and evening.
Temperatures Wednesday morning will be in the upper 60s to lower 70s and should top out in the lower 80s before the front arrives Wednesday evening.
Readings will drop within hours after midnight and cool into the upper 40s to low-mid 50s by Thursday morning and likely stay there all day long.
Skies might even clear by late Thursday afternoon, but that won't take the bite out of the wind and temperatures that are expected to be in the upper 40s to lower 50s at sunset Thursday, with wind chills likely in the low to mid 40s!
Readings for Friday morning could drop as low as the upper 30s, making this the coldest weather Acadiana has seen to date this fall.
Look for chilly conditions to continue Friday into the weekend with highs ranging from the upper 50s to lower 60s while overnight lows stay planted in the lower 40s...perfectly normal readings for the "dead" of Acadiana's winter that we normally see in January!
Skies should be sunny Friday, mostly cloudy Saturday (with lots of high clouds) and partly sunny Sunday.
Milder temperatures will briefly return by Tuesday ahead of another quick front keeping our temperatures at or below normal through the end of next week.
See the 10 Day Forecast for the latest.
Here's some Halloween climatology for Acadiana and Lafayette: the coldest was in 1913 with a reading of 27 degrees, the hottest in 1940 with a high of 90 degrees, and the wettest was set just 4 years ago with 2.77" in 2015.
So although it will be quite chill this Halloween, it won't be by any stretch a record-breaker...but nonetheless bundle-up as we havent been used to temperatures like this since last winter!
