FIRST ALERT FORECAST: Cool through the weekend; rain holds off until next week

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Our Friday evening continues to be on the blustery and cold side as temperatures fall quickly through the 40s this evening with wind chill values dropping into the 30s. Make sure to wear a heavy coat if outdoors this evening with the gusty winds in place beginning to calm as the night progresses. Temperatures fall a bit lower tonight, especially if winds do calm enough, with lows for Lake Charles around 35 with as low as 33 for our northern parishes first thing Saturday. These breezes may be enough to keep any sort of widespread frost out of the area tonight.

The effects of this cooler airmass will continue to be felt through the weekend with a full day of sunshine for your Saturday, lighter winds and highs in the upper 50s. Calm winds Saturday night will set the stage for a light freeze for all areas north of I-10 for early Sunday morning and a widespread frost elsewhere. Sunday will bring a few extra clouds at times thanks to the passage of an upper-level disturbance, but no rain will enter the forecast until next week.

We’ll start off the week dry for our Martin Luther King Jr. Day with temperatures back into the 60s during the afternoon. After that, rain chances begin to return along with much warmer weather later on in the week. A return of Gulf moisture will bring a couple of showers back to the area beginning Tuesday with gradually increasing rain chances Wednesday and Thursday.

There still remains a considerable amount of uncertainty in the long-range forecast, as models today have trended a bit lower on rain amounts for Southwest Louisiana next week but also keep a rather unsettled pattern in place with at least the chance for daily showers around through the upcoming weekend.

First Alert Meteorologist Ben Terry

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