No snow but it will be cold enough for it or even too cold to snow.
New Orleanians will have to bundle up for the rest of the year. A modest cold snap is coming this weekend, and chillier weather will soon follow, with freezing temperatures expected to blow in before next weekend and last through Christmas, forecasters say. There’s a 70% chance the freezing cold weather will begin the morning of Friday the 23rd, and will last at least until Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service. “We’re going to have two or three surges of cooler air coming, Friday into Saturday,” NWS forecaster Tim Erickson said. “On Christmas weekend, it’s the same process except those are going to be much stronger than what we’re getting right now.”
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This weather started with the day the tornadoes hit.
These cold snaps were heralded by the winter storm that rolled through this week, spawning between 10 and 15 tornadoes in Louisiana that killed 3 people. The upcoming wintry blasts, however, aren’t expected to produce any major storms. This weekend in New Orleans, the coldest temperatures will be in the low 40s, with highs in the low 60s Friday and low 50s Saturday and Sunday. However, wind blowing in off Lake Pontchartrain could make temperatures feel colder. The north shore will have lows in the 30s Friday night, and a soft freeze Saturday night, with temps briefly dipping into the low 30s. Saturday and Sunday will have highs in the mid-50s. There’s also a 30% chance of rain for Saturday afternoon. Some rain and slightly warmer temperatures are expected early next week, before the New Orleans area dives deeper into the cold.
This weekend’s forecast courtesy of the National Weather Service image via National Weather Service
This graph went through yesterday and it was 45 when I went out to walk the dog.
Next week in New Orleans, the first surge of cold air is expected to arrive Thursday, with lows in the upper 20s. Then, on Friday, Dec. 23, another surge of cold air will hit New Orleans, with highs in the 40s and lows in the 20s. Next Wednesday on the north shore will be slightly colder. with lows in the lower 20s. The Friday before Christmas will have the same lows as Wednesday, with highs in the 30s. “The timing on this may shift over the coming days,” Erickson said. “But we should see the surges before Christmas Day.” This means that there will likely be a hard freeze on Christmas throughout southeast Louisiana. Forecasters had said earlier this week that it’s unlikely to snow, and that seems to hold true now. “It looks like there could be some rain along the front. But all of that moisture scours out pretty quick,” Erickson said. “Down here, when we get into temperatures in the 20s, it would be rare for it to snow.”
There are things we should do.
In preparation for the upcoming freezes, the National Weather Service urges New Orleans residents to remember to protect the “four p’s”: people, pets, pipes and plants. The service recommends checking on anyone sensitive to the cold, especially elderly people, and bringing pets and plants inside and wrapping exposed pipes or keeping a faucet dripping to ensure pipes don’t freeze.
I am bring the last lemons in and we will also do a pot of flowers as well.
