Changes are coming to our area...

Short Term:  We are starting this Friday morning off with clear skies and chilly temperatures in the upper 40s.  Some patchy fog has developed in a few areas, but it is not expected to become widespread.  Grab that warm jacket as you head out the door today!

We will have one more gorgeous afternoon here in Baton Rouge.  An area of high pressure is sitting over us, and that will continue to provide us with sunny skies.  It will also keep temperatures very comfortable with low humidity.  Highs will be in the mid 70s.

The skies will be mostly clear tonight, and it will be a little chilly with lows falling to the upper 40s.

Weekend Forecast:  The area of high pressure will move toward the East Coast, and that will bring in more southerly winds to the Gulf States.  This will help to increase the humidity as Gulf Moisture returns to our area.  The skies will become partly cloudy and it will be warmer with highs around 80.

The southerly winds will persist on Sunday, and an area of low pressure will be moving east across Texas toward the northern Gulf of Mexico.  This low will be our next weather-maker.  The low will track toward Louisiana on Sunday night, and this will spread some rain over the state.  High temperatures will be in the upper 70s and lows near 60. 

Football Forecast:  If you are headed to Tuscaloosa for the LSU vs. Alabama game you can expect plenty of sunshine with kickoff temperatures at 2:30 PM of 72 degrees.  The end of the game will be clear and cool with temperatures falling down to the lower 60s.   Overnight in Tuscaloosa it will be clear and cold with lows in the mid 40s.

Those of you headed to Natchitoches for the SLU vs. Northwestern State game, you can expect to have mostly sunny skies with 2 PM kickoff temperatures in the mid 70s, and temperatures in the mid to upper 60s at the end of the game. 

Next Week Outlook:  The low will move across Louisiana and drag a cold front through the Gulf Coast states.  There will be plenty of moisture in place as the low draws it in from the south.  This will spread scattered to numerous showers and a few thunderstorms over Baton Rouge on Monday and Tuesday.  At the same time, we will be watching Ida to see where it will track.  At this time, Ida looks to be deflected to the east, or toward Florida thanks to the system moving out of Texas.  High temperatures will be in the lower to mid 70s on Monday and Tuesday.

The area of low pressure will be off to the east of Louisiana on Wednesday.  We will dry things out as an area of high pressure builds in.  This will keep is mostly sunny on Wednesday through Friday.  Daily highs will be in the lower 70s, and lows in the lower 50s.

Tropical Update:  Ida is a tropical depression this morning as it sits on the Nicaragua/Honduras border.  Winds are sustained at 35 mph.  It is moving toward the North at 6 mph.  On this track, Ida will move over Honduras today, and emerge in the NW Caribbean by Saturday morning.  Then it will move to the NW toward Cancun, Mexico by early on Monday.  It is forecast to become a tropical storm once again with winds around 50 mph on Sunday. 

On Tuesday, Ida is forecast to be in the southern Gulf of Mexico as it tracks toward the northwest.  At the same time, that front will be moving across the Northern Gulf Coast states, and this will make Ida turn toward the Northeast on Wednesday as it moves into the Central Gulf. 

Please understand that there is great uncertainty with the track of Ida.  It will all depend on how strong Ida is once it emerges back into the Caribbean this weekend.  Plus, the track it will take once it is in the Gulf will also depend on the track of the low and front that will move through our area early next week.  Southeast Louisiana is in the forecast cone on Day 5, so it will be worth watching.  However, dating back to 1851 a storm has never made a landfall in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi or Alabama in the month of November.  That would lead me to believe that Ida will not be a threat to Louisiana at this time, but I will still watch it closely.

Needless to say, keep it tuned to News 2 and WBRZ.com for the latest information on Ida today and over the weekend.  Click here to check out WBRZ's Hurricane Center page.

Elsewhere. . .the rest of the tropics are calm.  Therefore, tropical cyclone formation is not expected through the weekend in those areas. 

Louisiana Marine Areas:  A Coastal Flood Watch is in effect through Tuesday.  A pressure gradient between strong high pressure over the Southeast U.S. and much lower pressures over the Southern Gulf of Mexico will generate strong easterly onshore flow over the next few days.  Also, the area of low pressure moving out of Texas and Ida will add to the winds.  These events have the potential to cause significant coastal flooding impacts for several days. 

Tide levels are forecast to be abnormally high, or around 3 to 4 feet above normal at high tide.  All coastal residents are urged to prepare for possible coastal flooding that could last for a few days. 

For more information from the National Weather Service, click here.