After reaching near 80 degrees Monday afternoon Acadiana will be in store for temperatures some 40-50 degrees colder within a 24-36 hour period!
A strong cold front will cross the area Monday night accompanied and followed by, periods of light rain, and increasingly gusty northerly winds.
Temperatures will likely plummet into the mid-30s by morning as rain and misty drizzle gradually ends.
There shouldn't be any threat of significant wintry precipitation as the bulk of the moisture is expected to depart the area before the coldest air arrives.
Tuesday will be a mostly cloudy, windy and cold day with high temperatures hard-pressed to reach the lower 40s while wind chills stay in the 20s.
Wind chills will likely stay in the 20s most of Tuesday and could drop as low as the upper teens Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
In addition, a Hard Freeze Watch is in effect for most of Acadiana Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, as depending and cloud cover and winds, readings are expected to drop somewhere into the mid-upper 20s and we could see sub-freezing temperatures for a solid 12 hours...so wrapping exposed pipes will be a very good idea.
Temperatures could drop as low as the lower 20s in the northern-most Acadiana Parishes into Central Louisiana Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
The winds following the front overnight will be gusting to 30-40 mph and will stay quite strong throughout our Tuesday before they gradually die down through Wednesday morning...but the may not decrease enough producing those bitter chills in the upper teens.
Plenty of sun Wednesday, mixed with some high clouds should help to get our temperatures back into the upper 40s to lower 50s, and Acadiana should stay above freezing Wednesday night as clouds increase ahead of a quick-hitting weather system Thursday that could bring us some rain.
Thereafter it looks fair and cool Friday into the weekend with temperatures stay well below normal through Sunday along with the possibility of some frosty starts to Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Milder temperatures appear to return next week...but we'll see!
See the KATC 10 Day Forecast for the latest.
