Weather Service Updates Louisiana Severe Threat on Thursday

Forecasters with the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center have been burning the midnight oil and staying very busy for the past several nights. Over the past week or so a series of strong spring storm systems have marched across the country. In many cases, those storm systems have produced tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds that have been deadly across the Great Plains and the Deep South.

As we move into the first weekend in May there are some concerns across the nation and here in Louisiana regarding the potential for severe storms, heavy downpours, and straight-line wind damage as well.

You don't have to be a degreed meteorologist to look at the radar scan from earlier this morning to see that central and southeastern Texas are facing the worst of the weather as the sun is coming up. Forecasters believe the storms in Texas will slide eastward across Louisiana during the day on Thursday.

For that reason, the Storm Prediction Center has included all but a very small portion of southeastern Louisiana in the "marginal risk" category for severe storms today. Louisiana is just one of a dozen states where severe storms could form today.

The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles has published this graphic that gives us a really good idea of when the worst of the weather and the greatest threat for heavy downpours will happen.

Based on the Lake Charles forecast showers and storms should start to enter southwestern Louisiana just before sunrise with the heaviest showers reaching the Lafayette area around mid-morning. A Flood Watch has been posted for a large part of Louisiana through 7 p.m.

Based on the NWS Forecast much of the shower activity across Acadiana should come to an end by early evening. The remainder of Thursday night will be quite breezy so if you do have plans, especially outside plans, you'll want to take the breeze into account. 

Friday will also bring another threat of showers to the area but it doesn't appear as though the potential for severe storms will be as great. Conditions should improve greatly for Saturday and Sunday with mostly sunny skies forecast for the weekend.