Weather Blog

Dave Nussbaum
dnussbaum@wbrz.com

. . .Record Cold Temperatures This Morning. . .

Short Term:  It is a very cold start to this Tuesday morning across the Baton Rouge area.  There are clear skies, and high pressure is sitting over us.  These two factors have lead to temperatures falling into the mid and upper 30s.  This broke the record low of 38 set back in 2004.  Be sure to bundle up as you head out the door this morning!

We will warm up nicely this afternoon with sunny skies, but you may still want that light jacket.  As the area of high pressure sits over us, northerly winds are still bringing in cool temperatures.  Highs this afternoon will be in the mid 60s - well below the normal high of 77. 

Tonight, we will continue to have clear skies, and it will remain chilly.  We will come close to the record low of 39 set back in 1983.  I am forecasting a low of 42, but some areas will have lows in the 30s across the Felicianas, and in southern Mississippi. 

Week Ahead:  The beautiful and dry weather will continue into Wednesday.  However, we are going to start warming back up.  That area of high pressure will be sliding to the east, and as that happens, southerly winds will return to our area.  This will provide us with a few clouds, and high temperatures in the mid 70s!  The warming trend continues on Thursday with mostly sunny skies, and high temperatures in the upper 70s. 

On Friday, a cold front will move through the Baton Rouge area, and this will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms with it.  It will be slightly cooler because of the rain with highs in the mid 70s. 

We will dry things out behind the cold front as high pressure builds back in over the weekend.  This will give us partly cloudy skies, but the temperatures will actually warm up, verses cool down.  This is because the air mass behind this front is air from the Pacific, not the Arctic.  High temperatures will be in the 80s all weekend with lows in the 60s. 

Mississippi River Levels:  This Mississippi River continues to rise across South Louisiana.  Some flooding has occurred around the St. Francisville area, and some seepage is occurring across the Baton Rouge area.  We will continue to see a small rise on the river before it crests next week.  Here are the latest stages, and crest levels:

At Baton Rouge:  41.7 feet.  A River Flood Warning has been issued for this location.  The River is forecast to crest at 42.5 feet by April 21st.  Flood Stage is at 35 feet, however, we are protected by the levees that go to around 45 feet.  Click here for the latest on the Flood Warnings.

At Red River Landing:  59.0 feet.  Flood Stage is at 48 feet, and a River Flood Warning is in effect here as well.  The river is forecast to crest here at 59.8 feet on the morning of April 21st.  All river islands and camps will be under water! 

At Donaldsonville:  30.7 feet.  Flood stage is 27.0 feet.  The river will crest at 31.0 feet on April 18th.  A River Flood Warning is in effect for here as well.   

**The Bonnet Carre Spillway was opened Friday to relieve some of the pressure on the levees in New Orleans!!  However, this will have very little effect on the river levels here in Baton Rouge.

The Following links can be used to get the latest River Levels across SE Louisiana:

• National Weather Service River Summary
• USGS River Levels

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