


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Lake Charles, LA
Issued by NWS Lake Charles, LA
Versions:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
858 FXUS64 KLCH 091958 AFDLCH Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Lake Charles LA 258 PM CDT Sun Mar 9 2025 ...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, MARINE... .KEY MESSAGES... - Dry weather will start the work week, with a gradual warm up of temperatures. - Next small chance of rain arrives late Wednesday. && .SHORT TERM... (Tonight through Tuesday night) Issued at 250 PM CDT Sun Mar 9 2025 Afternoon surface analysis shows low pressure off the MS/AL coast, with a cold front draped SSW across the Gulf. Aloft, mid/upper level low pressure is centered over northern AR, with the trof axis tilted back towards west TX. Visible satellite imagery shows a significant low level cloud deck across much of the southeastern US, with clouds wrapping around the back side of the surface low and providing mostly cloudy skies overhead at this time. Cloudy skies, along with post-frontal CAA, have kept temps on the cool side today, with current readings ranging from the low 50s across CENLA to the lower 60s across SE TX where more breaks in the clouds are noted. Tonight, the coastal low will continue to track east across the FL Panhandle, while the upper low will shift towards MS/AL. As this occurs, skies will gradually clear out as we head towards sunrise, while winds will begin to relax. Tomorrow looks like a near picture perfect day, with sunny skies and highs around 70 degrees on tap. Surface high pressure current over west-central TX will shift east and become situated nearly overhead by the evening hours, allowing winds to decrease further through the later half of the day. Dry and mild weather continues into Tuesday as the surface high continues to traverse the northern Gulf Coast. Winds return to an onshore flow by early Tuesday, which will slowly begin to bring back some warmer and more humid air. As a result, afternoon highs will be a bit warmer on Tues, topping out in the low to mid 70s. 17 && .LONG TERM... (Wednesday through next Saturday) Issued at 250 PM CDT Sun Mar 9 2025 Warming/moistening trend continues into the second half of the work week, with highs reaching into the mid to upper 70s on Wed (except near the coast). Wed afternoon, a mid/upper level shortwave will slide across north TX/OK, approaching the Ark-La- Tex by the evening/overnight period. This will provide support for shower activity, and while most of the better lift will be displaced to our north we may see some isolated showers and a thunderstorm or two across the northern half of the region. The best chance for rain will be through the evening into the overnight period, with the trough ejecting east after midnight. Dry and warm weather returns for Thursday, followed by another more potent system Fri into the weekend. Still some disagreements between the long range models regarding this next system, particularly on timing as well as how far south any significant severe weather will make it. For now, it looks like the better dynamics for severe weather will be displaced to our north however, definitely something to keep an eye on through the coming week. Regardless, it looks like rain chances will increase through Fri PM into Sat AM as a a robust low pressure system and associated cold front swing across the Plains and MS Valley. Rain chances taper off by Sat afternoon, with a return of more seasonal temps behind the front. 17 && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1214 PM CDT Sun Mar 9 2025 MVFR to IFR CIGs and breezy winds with frequent gusts will continue this afternoon and into tonight. BPT and LCH should lift to VFR through the late afternoon, while the remaining sites will maintain MVFR into the overnight period. Near or just after midnight, winds should relax a bit, while CIGs should become VFR area-wide. Remaining cloud cover then begins to clear out completely towards the end of the TAF period, with winds remaining light to moderate out of the NW. && .MARINE... Issued at 250 PM CDT Sun Mar 9 2025 Small Craft Advisories remain in place across all zones through 12Z tomorrow due to strong northwest winds and elevated seas behind a cold front passage. In addition, another Low Water Advisory is in effect from 3 AM tonight through noon tomorrow. Winds and seas begin to gradually decrease from west to east throughout tomorrow as high pressure settles overhead. Offshore flow continues into Monday, before winds shift to onshore Tuesday through Friday. 17 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AEX 41 69 43 75 / 0 0 0 0 LCH 44 70 48 73 / 0 0 0 0 LFT 46 71 46 76 / 0 0 0 0 BPT 44 73 48 74 / 0 0 0 0 && .LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...None. TX...None. GM...Small Craft Advisory until 7 AM CDT Monday for GMZ430-432-435- 436-450-470. Low Water Advisory from 3 AM to noon CDT Monday for GMZ430-432- 435-436. Small Craft Advisory until noon CDT Monday for GMZ452-455-472- 475. && $$ SHORT TERM...17 LONG TERM....17 AVIATION...17