Strong Storms Marching Across Louisiana This Morning

This is not a good morning to be a dog in Louisiana. Whether you happen to be a dog in Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, or New Orleans the chances are strong that you will hide from thunder and lightning before you get your morning bowl of kibble. Yeah, we're pretty sure the humans who take care of those pets will be awakened too.

The National Weather Service Radar out of Lake Charles, Louisiana is currently showing, as of 1:00 a.m. CDT a strong squall line of storms pushing out of Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes into neighboring parishes to the east. There have been severe weather warnings associated with this line of storms, so the need to be weather-aware can't be understated.

This is just one of two lines of strong storms associated with a frontal system that will affect Louisiana weather this morning. The timing on the first line of storms suggests the Lafayette area will begin to feel the effects of the storms by 2:00 a.m. CDT, or just after.

The second line of strong storms is currently tracking about 150 miles or so behind the first line. It too has shown some robust thunderstorm development and there have been warnings posted for those in the path of that line as well. Here's what that line looks like on the NWS Radar out of Houston/Galveston as of 1:30 a.m. CDT.

Based on the best guesses of forecasters across the Gulf South that line of storms should impact the Lake Charles area before sunrise. It should then move eastward and begin to affect the morning commute in Lafayette and Acadiana just about the time many schoolagers are being dropped off for Friday morning classes.

The Storm Prediction Center has much of the areas we've described, Lafayette, Lake Charles, and other South Louisiana communities included in a marginal risk for severe storms during the morning hours. By afternoon, the conditions should be much calmer and the showers and storms should be ending.

Once the storm system clears your area you should expect gusty winds and much cooler temperatures. Daytime highs should make it into the 70s before the storm system begins dropping the temperature for the afternoon. By tonight, skies will begin to clear but it will be 10 to 15 degrees cooler than last night.

The forecast for Saturday calls for sunny skies with gusty breezes and an afternoon high of 73. Sunday morning temperatures will drop to near 50 and then rebound under sunny skies to a high in the low 70s.