Friday AM Forecast: Chilly weekend ahead, first Freeze Watch of season issued for Capital Area
Chilly Black Friday shopping conditions will turn downright cold into Saturday morning as temperatures drop near the freezing mark for the first time this season. A Freeze Watch has already been issued for the Capital Area; make sure to protect the 3 P's from the cold this weekend: people, pets, and plants.
Today & Tonight: With the Thanksgiving cold front now off the coast of Louisiana, a few isolated showers are trailing the system early this morning, mainly in coastal parishes. Any shower activity will be shut off by mid-morning as the much drier and cooler air behind the front continues to move into the Capital Area. For early Black Friday shoppers, conditions are around 20 degrees cooler than Thursday morning, down into the upper-40s under partly cloudy skies. Sunshine will dominate by the afternoon but temperatures will struggle to warm past 60 degrees today. A northerly wind between 5-15 mph on Friday may also make conditions feel even chillier.
Tonight, as many continue with holiday festivities or head to high school football playoff games; bundle up! Temperatures will quickly fall into the upper-40s by 7pm and continue to drop into the 30s as the night goes on. Overnight, areas along and north of the I-10/12 corridor could potentially see the freezing mark for the first time this season. A Freeze Watch has been issued for East and West Baton Rouge, Pointe Coupee, East and West Feliciana, St. Helena, parts of Livingston and Tangipahoa Parishes and all of southwest Mississippi for Friday night and Saturday morning. A freeze could damage or kill sensitive crops or residential plants. Those in the watch should move or cover their plants before the weekend and make sure to keep pets in a warm space as well.
Up Next: While weekend afternoons will be mild with ample amounts of sunshine and temperatures in the low to mid-60s, mornings and evenings will be cold. It is likely another Freeze Watch or Warning will be issued for Saturday night/Sunday morning as temperatures will again drop into the middle 30s. The cold mornings and cool afternoons will remain into the next workweek, but there are signs of a warmup by Wednesday.
LSU & Bayou Classic: Tailgaters in Baton Rouge and New Orleans this weekend will need to add extra layers to their gameday attire this Saturday. While conditions might be a few degrees warmer in New Orleans for the Bayou Classic due to the warming influence of Lake Pontchartrain, it'll still be cool enough to extra layers. LSU Fans will need to prepare for a kickoff temperature in the low to mid-50s on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium. Temperatures will fall into the 40s during the game. Check out the latest LSU Kickoff Weather Index to see how the Tigers typically play in these conditions.
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