Weather Blog

Dave Nussbaum
dnussbaum@wbrz.com

Short Term:  It actually feels a little "cooler" this morning because it is not as humid as the last few days.  Some drier air has moved in this morning, and that is giving us that more comfortable feel to the air.  Temperatures are in the upper 60s with partly cloudy skies. 

It will become hot and humid again this afternoon, but we will have to dodge a few showers and thunderstorms.  These storms will be set off by a weak cold front that will be drifting to the south along the I-20 corridor.  We will also have some outflow boundaries, or boundaries left over from yesterday's storms, sitting across our state, and they will be also helping to set off some storms today.  A few of the storms could be strong with heavy rain, gusty winds and frequent lightning.  Temperatures will be very warm again as they climb into the upper 80s. 

Tonight, look for mostly cloudy skies, and there could be a few showers lasting all night as that front continues to slowly drift to the south.  Lows will be in the upper 60s. 

Rest of the Week:  That cold front will eventually stop just north of Baton Rouge on Thursday, and then retreat back to the north as it falls apart.  This will lead to isolated showers and thunderstorms tomorrow.  Some of the storms could be strong with heavy rain, gusty winds, and a lot of lightning.  High temperatures will remain in the upper 80s. 

On Friday and into the weekend, a ridge of high pressure will set up over the Deep South.  This means we will have a lot of sunshine each day, and it will be very hot!  The humid weather will also be here, and the afternoon high temperatures will be in the lower 90s.  We will also have a small chance for a pop-up afternoon thunderstorm each day for only about 10-20% of the area. 

Watching the Tropics:  While it isn't hurricane season quite yet, it begins on Sunday, the computer models are hinting at a system developing in the western Caribbean, and moving it into the Gulf of Mexico for late next week.  It is worth noting since it will be hurricane season, and in the last few years we have had a system during the first few weeks of the season.  At this time, IF it would happen, the models are taking the system into the Florida Panhandle by the end of next week.  BUT, nothing has formed, and this might end up being nothing since it is SO far out.  Nonetheless, I will keep an eye on it. 

Hurricane Preparedness Week:  The National Weather Service has named May 25-31 as Hurricane Preparedness week for southeast Louisiana.  Look for special weather blog topics highlighting specific aspects of hurricanes.  For more information, click here.

Mississippi River Levels:  The Mississippi River continues to fall slowly. Click here for the latest on the Flood Warnings.  Here are the latest stages as of this morning:

• Baton Rouge:  33.8 feet.  Flood Stage is at 35 feet.  The river has fallen below flood stage.  
• Red River Landing:  50.8 feet.  Flood Stage is at 48 feet.  A river flood warning remains in effect! 

An EF-5 Tornado!:  Thats right, the tornado that hit Parkersburg, Iowa over the weekend was rated an EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.  That means that the winds were around 205 mph!  This was the first EF-5 tornado since the Greensburg, KS on last year.  This is also the first EF-5 tornado in Iowa since June 13, 1976. 

When the National Weather Service rates a tornado it is based on the damage that it caused, not how big the tornado was.  For example, you could have a very large tornado that moves over a grass field, but have a low rating since it only damaged grass.  However, if it would have moved over a town and totally destroyed it, it would be rated much higher since it caused major damage.  For more information on the Parkersburg tornado, click here.

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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.