Expect a quiet finish to the week before a weekend filled with changing weather. Thermometers will come crashing down to freezing by Monday.

Next 24 Hours: A clear and calm night will result in a 25 to 30 degree drop in temperatures from the afternoon highs and lows will bottom out in the low 40s. After a sunny start to the day, the week will end with a few clouds spilling into the area—a sign of the weekend storm system. Topping out about 5 to 8 degrees above average, highs will reach the upper 60s and low 70s on Friday.   

Up Next: The next cold front will bring scattered showers and an isolated thunderstorm or two on Saturday afternoon and evening. Behind the cold front, winds will shift to the northwest ushering in much colder air. Sunday morning will be in the 30s and the afternoon will struggle to reach the mid 40s. Persistent north winds of 10-15mph will result in feels-like temperatures in the 30s for much of the day. Especially early, cloud cover will linger with just enough moisture for some sprinkles or possibly even snow flurries north and east of Baton Rouge. Any flying flakes will be isolated and not stick. As winds lighten and skies clear, low temperatures will then get close to freezing on Monday morning. Sunshine will push high temperatures back into the 50s during the afternoon. Tuesday will remain dry and turn milder before the next cold front arrives late Wednesday. CLICK HERE for your detailed 7-Day Forecast.

The Explanation: Thanks to a weak upper level ridge of high pressure, mainly clear skies and slightly above average temperatures will continue through the end of the week. Saturday, a strong upper level trough of low pressure will move out of the Great Plains and into the Southeast. The basin of the trough will push a cold front into the local area Saturday afternoon into Saturday night. While upper level winds would be supportive of organized thunderstorms, there will be a lack of low level moisture and instability. As a result, frontal lift will likely create a band of scattered showers and maybe a thunderstorm as the front crosses. Ahead of and directly behind the front, winds will pick up gusting over 30mph at times. A much colder air mass will spill into the region, as those winds turn northerly behind the front. Expect winds chills, or feels like temperatures, to stay in the 30s all through Sunday. In the afternoon, high temperatures will struggle to leave the mid 40s, and lingering clouds will not help that cause. Moisture wrapping around the backside of the front could result in some chilly sprinkles or even a few flurries in southwest Mississippi. Freezing temperatures will be possible Monday morning as skies clear and winds slacken. A second, but weaker upper level trough of low pressure will zip through the area on Monday, without any precipitation, maintaining cooler than average temperatures. After Saturday, the next chance for rain will come on Wednesday with another fast frontal system.

--Josh

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