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Friday afternoon weather update
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A low pressure system will bring rain to the region early Friday morning through Saturday morning. While the threat for severe weather will be low, a long duration soak and a few downpours could lead to street and poor drainage flooding. A *FLASH FLOOD WATCH* is in effect for the entire WBRZ viewing area until 1pm Saturday. A storm total 1-3 inches of rain is expected, with isolated higher amounts possible.
THE FORECAST:
Today and Tonight: A nasty day of weather is ahead. Cloud cover and steady rainfall will hold temperatures in the 60s. Some downpours could be in the mix with a few embedded thunderstorms. Both commutes on Friday should be slow-going. Please find an alternate route if you encounter a flooded road. It will take less time to go around the mess than it will if you stall your car driving through! Nighttime will be muggy with thermometers in the upper 60s and low 70s as a final punch of showers and thunderstorms is expected through daybreak.
Up Next: A cold front is expected to sweep through the area Saturday morning. It appears that rain will be ending from west to east between 7-11am. LSU tailgaters may have to dodge some showers, especially early, but should also find some dry time for festivities prior to the game against Auburn. By kickoff at 2pm, the area is expected to be dry with some peeks of sunshine. Temperatures will stay in the upper 60s and then fall into the low 50s overnight. Sunday through Tuesday will be much quieter with seasonable temperatures and a lot of sun.
The Tropics: A tropical wave producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the western Gulf of Mexico has a 70 percent chance of becoming a short-lived tropical depression or storm before it merges with a cold front by Friday night. This system will contribute to the forecasted rainfall across the central Gulf Coast through Saturday. Wind will not be an issue but coastal tides could be 1-2 feet above normal. The rest of the Atlantic Basin is quiet.
THE EXPLANATION:
As a surface low moves toward southwest Louisiana, rain will increase. The aforementioned tropical disturbance will add some moisture to the developing storm system. Therefore, a steady, moderate rain is expected for much of Friday. The surface low will move across the Baton Rouge area Friday afternoon and evening, continuing the threat for rain. As the low moves closer, some times of heavy rain will be possible. The threat for severe weather is low, but between the warm front and cold front Friday night, some thunderstorms could develop. The slow moving nature of this system could allow for some training cells at that time and thus some street or poor drainage flooding. Thanks to the extended duration of this event, rainfall totals of 1 to 3 inches with locally higher amounts will be possible through Saturday morning.
As an upper level low moves into Arkansas on Saturday morning, the surface low should be pulled northward which would allow a cold front to pass through the local area from west to east. Due to this, clouds and scattered showers are still expected to be in the area around daybreak Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, a dry line should sweep through in the wake of the front. Expect to see clearing skies and dry conditions take hold. Temperatures will cool behind the front and so thermometers will not move far from morning readings in the low 60s, perhaps only into the upper 60s. Saturday night, skies will continue to clear with lows in the low 50s. The second half of the weekend will be dry, seasonably cool and sunny. The next storm system presents another timing challenge during the middle part of next week.
--Josh
The WBRZ Weather Team is here for you, on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App. on Apple and Android devices. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and Twitter for even more weather updates while you are on the go.
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