Another Freeze North Shore, Major Warm Up Rest Of This Week.

Some clouds lingered overnight and along with winds staying up crossing Lake Pontchartrain, the South shore stayed well above freezing.  Tonight may be slightly colder as winds decrease with clear skies.  NWS has issued another freeze warning for the North Shore, but not for the South Shore.  We begin with the NWS prediction for Wednesday morning.

With the surface winds NNE tonight, the warmth of Lake Pontchartrain will keep the South Shore 40+.  Precautions are still needed for the North Shore, especially for the tropical plants.  But a warm-up is coming.  Currently, there is a deep trough over the eastern states with a ridge over the west.

Teens cover the northern Plains into the Great Lakes, while 50s have soared into Montana & near 70 at Denver.  Our warm-up will only be gradual for Wednesday, but by Thursday, the warmth will be on the rise over us. It is still very Winter-ish over the eastern states, especially the Great Lakes & Northeast.

The bottom graphic shows low dewpoints cover all of the Southeast, making for the good feel air. No rain is in sight for the next 7-10 days.

As you can see, the warm-up really kicks in by this weekend and lingers into next week.  We are not done with cold fronts, but this is the last of the really cold air masses.  As we get into April, the fronts bring limited cooling, but more dry air.  The next 6-8 weeks are usually very nice before the awful summer heat locks in during May.  Get out and enjoy the next 7-10 days.  Stay tuned!

Bark Worse Than Bite, Light Freeze North Shore, Huge Warm Up Late Week

After all of the damage on the North Shore from last week's severe threat, I know many people were anxious about the severe threat from last night's cold front.  Even though there was lots of lightning & thunder, the lines of storms moved by so quickly that rainfall amounts were barely a half inch.  There were strong winds (Lakefront Airport gusted to 60 mph), but any damage was minor as the threat had more bark than bite.  Look at the damage reports from SPC.

There were 5 reported tornadoes, but none were in LA. or MS.  In fact, there were only 2 wind damage reports in south Louisiana and NONE on the North Shore.  That severe threat has shifted to the East Coast today.

There remain several tornado watches in effect, but the bark continues worse than the bite.  The cause of this recent threat has been an unusually deep upper trough over the central plains and eastern states.

That flow has brought an Arctic airmass all the way down to the Gulf Coast.  Satellite views show the extensive snow cover up north (see the rivers), and that has kept temps in the teens & 20s. Fortunately, the higher March sun angle has allowed us to warm back well into the 50s.  Some clouds streaking along the bottom of the upper trough has kept Texas quite a bit colder than us. Dallas is in the 40s!

Those same clouds could help keep south LA/MS from dipping to near freezing on the North Shore.  NWS has a freeze warning up there.

If you live south of Lake P., temps should stay above 40 near the lake.  You might want to protect your tropical plants that don't like the chilly temps.  North Shore requires more protection as temps are expected to dip into the upper 20s.   Wednesday morning may be a little colder with clear skies & lighter winds.  With the western upper ridge shifting over us, look for a huge late-week warm-up.

Finally, I attended the Metairie Road Irish parade yesterday, and the weather was near perfect.

The float throwers were generous, and the parade had no real long delays.  I only had one Guinness, but a new friend named Bobby (Great Name!) allowed us to use their porta potties & share in some eats.  Thank you, Bobby, and thanks to everyone who, for one day (one week here!) thinks & acts Irish.  Thanks especially to my fiancé, Valerie, who has brought joy/sunshine back into my life! Stay tuned!