Weather Blog
Print
Email
Save
Share
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
Dave Nussbaum
dnussbaum@wbrz.com
Tuesday Severe Weather: WOW! What a storm last night across the Baton Rouge area. We called for storms to develop yesterday, but these took a little longer to get organized. We had numerous reports of large hail ranging from quarters to even tennis ball size!!!! The bulk of the hail reports came from the Sherwood Forest Area. Thank you to all of the viewers who sent in the pictures. When there is bad weather across the area, please send your pictures to: weather@wbrz.com.
The storms from last night we set off by a combination of factors. First, the heat...it got up to 90 degrees yesterday and we tied the record high. It was also pretty humid with the dew points in the upper 60s. Plus, a disturbance moved through, and that was the main trigger for the storms. When you add all of these ingredients together, you get the storms, and they became severe. The reason for the hail was that we had some drier and colder air aloft, and that allowed the hail to form, and get big. Also, when you have that much hail, you get an incredible amount of lightning - something we also had last night!
Short Term: Fortunately, the storms from last night are over, and things are quiet this morning. It is a very warm and muggy 
morning with temperatures in the upper 60s to lower 70s. In the areas where it rained last night, fog has been reported too. Will we see more storms today?
It will once again be a very warm and humid afternoon across the Baton Rouge area. We are expecting isolated to scattered thunderstorms to pop-up by mid-afternoon. These storms will once again be slow movers, and will produce heavy rain. The severe risk is low, but it was yesterday as well. The storms today could once again produce some hail, but it will not be as big. Also, any storm will be capable of producing a lot of lightning. We are missing the trigger we had yesterday, the disturbance. However, yesterday's storms will leave little boundaries which could aid in storm development by mid-afternoon. It will be another very warm day with highs in the upper 80s.
Tonight, the storms will dissipate after it gets dark, and then we will be left with mostly cloudy skies. It will be muggy and mild with lows in the mid to upper 60s. 
Rest of the Week: Some drier air will move into the Deep South on Thursday and Friday. This will limit the thunderstorm threat to pretty low. We can just expect partly cloudy skies with just a few pop-up storms in the afternoon. It will be still warm with highs in the mid 80s.
Weekend Outlook: A cold front will stall across the area on Saturday and Sunday. This will set off scattered showers and thunderstorms both days, and some of the storms could be strong to severe. We are not expecting an all day rain event, but still plan for rain. Temperatures will be in the 80s and 60s at night.
Mississippi River Levels: The Mississippi River is currently CRESTING in many locations. However, it will take a number of days for the river to fall. You can still expect flooding to occur for some time. Here are the latest stages:
Baton Rouge: 43.0 feet. A River Flood Warning has been issued for this location. 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.
Red River Landing: 60.6 feet. Flood Stage is at 48 feet, and a River Flood Warning is in effect here as well.
Donaldsonville: 31.4 feet. Flood stage is 27.0 feet. A River Flood Warning is in effect for here as well.
The Following links can be used to get the latest River Levels across SE Louisiana:
If you would like to have the Weather Blog in you e-mail Inbox every morning during the week, click here and sign up for FREE!
Remember you can always get the latest forecast and radar information on Cox Cable channel 18 or Digital Cable channel 125, on www.2theadvocate.com/weather, or by calling the Weather 2 forecast line at (225) 336-2375.
Earlier Posts:
