Strong Storms, Heavy Downpours Rumbling Across Louisiana Today

(KMDL-FM) If you're traveling on I-10 between Lafayette and Lake Charles early this morning and you sneak a peek off toward the south, you just might see a flash of lightning in the distance. The coastal sections of Cameron, Vermilion, Iberia, and St. Mary Parishes are already experiencing strong storms and heavy downpours this morning.

The rest of us along Louisiana's I-10 corridor from Lake Charles to Lafayette to Baton Rouge and New Orleans should expect similar weather conditions throughout the day today. The catalyst for the enhanced rainfall is yet another disturbance drifting from east to west across the northern Gulf Coast.

Is There a Tropical Weather Threat in the Gulf?

The past two weeks have presented similar weather scenarios. The big difference between this week's "storm system" and the previous two weeks' storm systems is that we don't have the National Hurricane Center monitoring the progress of the tropical moisture as it moves westward.

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This radar scan, pictured below, is from 2:30 this morning. As you can see most of the heavier rain is confined to the coastal parishes. However, radar sites east of New Orleans suggest more storms are on the way and many of those storms will bring heavy rain to onshore locations.

And while it's true, the Gulf is quiet as far as tropical activity is concerned. The Climate Prediction Center is suggesting the always-warm waters that make up Louisiana's southern border could be primed for tropical activity over the next two weeks.

If you check out the graphics below, you can see there is an area of concern around the Florida Peninsula through the second week in August, but that seems to fade away later in the month. As many of you know, August begins the ramp-up to Louisiana's "Prime Time" for Hurricane Season. With the peak of the season happening on September 12th.

No, this doesn't mean something is imminent or even showing up on long-range tropical models; it just means that conditions along the coast would be "favorable" for storm development.

Speaking of storms, the most likely time for you to experience a thunderstorm with gusty winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning will come later today. The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles is saying generally after 2 pm is the most likely time for showers and storms to fire up across the region.

Forecasters say rainfall amounts of six to eight inches are possible along and south of the I-10 corridor between now and Saturday. However, the most likely rainfall scenarios suggest rainfall amounts will be between one and three inches. 

As of now, the forecast continues to bring an enhanced threat of rain through the end of the workweek and into the weekend. We could still face a significant threat of showers and storms as the new workweek unfolds, too.