Rain Finally Moving Into Louisiana – How Much Will the State Get?

Did you know that since roughly last April almost everyone in Louisiana has been driving the same color car? Yeah, we have different base colors underneath but almost all of us have been squiring ourselves around town in a vehicle that is the color of dust.

That's because the only moisture some parts of the state have seen since last spring has come in the form of morning dew. How bad is Louisiana's drought? Good Morning America's Ginger Zee put it this way.

In a state that makes a good portion of its living through agriculture and aquaculture a lack of rainfall is very disconcerting. To put it in an even more humbling perspective. Here's what world-renowned hurricane chaser Jim Cantore posted on his social media sites about the dire conditions in Louisiana.

Seven months since Alexandria has gotten an inch of rainfall. That is simply unheard of in the soggy bottoms of Louisiana, but such is the way our world is spinning. But we've got one more image that should hopefully ease your mind, or at least offer a little breathing room.

That is the current radar scan as of 0200 a.m. CST this morning. The green stuff is rain. I know you know that but it's been a while in case you forgot. That is what will be moving across Louisiana today as part of a frontal system. As much as we'd like it to, this system won't provide much in the way of rainfall relief but to quote the late pitchman Billy Mays, "But Wait, There's More".

While Louisiana will experience a cool and damp weekend it won't be a washout by any means, however, the first few days of next week could not only put a dent in Louisiana's drought, it might actually break it.

A storm system is expected to form in the Gulf of Mexico and move onshore during the day on Monday. KATC TV Chief Meteorologist Rob Perillo explains the situation quite well in his post on the TV station's website. Here's also what Rob and some of the model guidance are suggesting for rainfall totals through next Thursday across the region.

While that is not an official forecast and only a model projection the numbers are impressive and nothing like we've seen across Louisiana since April of this year. Some other model solutions suggest rainfall amounts of eight inches or more could occur across portions of Louisiana during this same time frame. So, the rain is coming and it's going to come with a vengeance in some locations.

Will Louisiana go from writing our names in the dust on our cars today to filling up sandbags to protect our homes next week, we'll just have to wait and see. And what if the temperatures really get cold? Nah, don't even go there.