The National Weather Service has issued a FLOOD WATCH for southern Louisiana, including Baton Rouge as well as parishes east and south through Friday evening. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. About 3-6 inches of rain is expected in the watch area, though isolated higher amounts are possible.

Beginning Wednesday afternoon, deep gulf moisture over the region will allow for widespread shower and storm development across the Capital Area to persists over the next few days. Heavy downpours leading to high rain rates raise the concern for flash flooding across southern Louisiana through Friday evening. Make sure to stay weather aware in the coming days and turn weather alerts on. 

Today & Tonight: Sunshine early Wednesday will allow morning temperatures in the upper-70's to quickly warm into the lower-90's by lunchtime. During the afternoon hours, we will watch cloud coverage increase ahead of showers and storms that will generally move from coastal waters north through the Capital region. Numerous showers are expected Wednesday afternoon and evening hours with 80% coverage, or the majority of the region, seeing measurable rainfall. The rain will continue in a more scattered fashion into overnight hours. Once the rain moves through an area, expect cooling behind the storms. 

End of the workweek: Thursday and Friday will be cloudy and stormy. A weak front lingering over the state mixed with above average moisture amounts in the atmosphere will motivate widespread showers and storms both days. Rain could be heavy at times, creating low visibility and nuisance standing water on roadways during commutes beginning Wednesday afternoon through Friday evening. Latest data suggest that rain will begin to dwindle as dry air pushes in late Friday night. Exact timing does remain tricky so those with plans to attend Friday night football games should stay in-touch with the forecast over the next several days as more data comes in. 

This Weekend: Once the front pushes through the area from north to south late Friday night, the thick moisture will be pushed away from the region. This will be felt in the form of much lower humidity and noticed by skies clearing into the weekend. A reinforcing shot of dry air on Saturday is likely to bring the driest and coolest air felt since early June. We might be able to classify that incoming air mass as the first taste of fall this season. 

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The Tropics: A tropical wave is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over Hispaniola and portions of the central Caribbean Sea. As this system moves westward, some development is possible when it reaches the western Caribbean Sea and the southwestern Gulf of Mexico late this week or over the weekend.

A tropical wave over the far eastern Atlantic is producing disorganized shower activity. Some slow development of this system is possible during the next few days as it moves west-northwestward or northwestward over the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. Environmental conditions are expected to become less conducive by the end of the week. This system could produce locally heavy rains and gusty winds across portions of the Cabo Verde Islands in a day or two.

Another tropical wave located about midway between the west coast of Africa and the Lesser Antilles is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Some slow development is possible during the next couple of days while the system moves west-northwestward. By the end of the week, however, environmental conditions are expected to become unfavorable for additional development.

– Emma Kate C. 

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