After freezing conditions and a frosty start to Acadiana's Saturday, look for a gradual warming trend through the weekend into Monday.
Temperatures will likely start out in the upper 20s to lower 30s across the entire area Saturday, so make sure the tender vegetation and the pets have a warm place to stay.
Wall to wall sunshine is expected Saturday and that will help get our temperatures into the upper 50s for an afternoon high.
And with very light winds Saturday afternoon, it will probably feel warmer in the sun...Mardi Gras parade revelers are reminded to don't forget the hats and sunblock!
It won't be as cold into Saturday night, but it will still be quite chilly if you're planning on attending the Bonaparte Parade during the evening with temperatures dropping into the upper 40s by parade's end.
Overnight lows into Sunday morning will be closer to the lower 40s.
Sunday looks to be milder with highs pushing into the mid-upper 60s thanks to breezy south-southeast winds emanating from the Gulf of Mexico.
Clouds will gradually build into the area Sunday afternoon, but overall it looks to be a pretty nice day.
In the extended outlook period, Monday looks to be breezy and warm, reaching the low to mid-70s, but a fairly vigorous upper level system and attendant cool front will yield a good chance of showers and some thunderstorms.
It remains too early to tell whether the Queen's Parade in Lafayette will be impacted, but plan on the rain gear for now.
Acadiana gets lucky, we think, on Mardi Gras as we'll be in between frontal systems, with cloudy and cool conditions perhaps to start the day, but finishing the afternoon with mostly sunny and seasonably mild conditions.
After a morning start in the mid 40s, highs Fat Tuesday should be in the mid-upper 60s...and if the sun shows up early, we may push 70 degrees!
Another strong cold front will push through the area Tuesday night into the predawn hours Wednesday, perhaps generating a few showers overnight, but also ushering in below normal temperatures back into the region for the rest of the week.
In fact, we could be looking at a couple of more opportunities for frosts, perhaps a light freeze for Thursday and/or Friday mornings of next week.
See the KATC 10 Day Forecastfor the latest.
Climate Notes: If Lafayette drops to 32F Saturday morning it will be the first freeze since December 19th and the first of 2020!
Lafayette has seen a total of 4 freezes to date this winter, with three of them, and the coldest period of the season, coming in mid-November...very unusual!
And even though it's been chilly of late, this winter has been a mild one for Acadiana to date.
