Bit of Frost in the Country?

Only big question is whether you’ll see a light frost Friday morning. With crystal clear skies and calm winds (rare for March), temperatures in rural areas of the Northshore will plummet to about 36 to 37 - that’s cold enough for scattered frost in the normally cold spots. So if your temperatures compare favorably to the airport in Slidell, put a towel, a large up or a piece of plastic over them Thursday night. For those us in more densely populated suburban areas, lows will stop closer to 40.

Here’s my key points:

1) What a big temperature swing from 80 as a high on Wednesday to Friday mornings low of 36-40 (44 on the Southshore).

2) Wednesday will start out partly cloudy and clouds will move in during the afternoon. Perhaps a light sprinkle as the cold front moves through that evening, but there’s little moisture to work with.

3) I think the Foreca forecast graph is underestimating the north winds early Thursday morning where we could see gusts to 25.

4) Watch out for fog Saturday morning - again, not in the Foreca graphic.

5) Sunday will be cloudy and the next rain system could sneak in here late Sunday afternoon, though the graphic shows it coming in early Monday with showers and thunderstorms during the morning. Half-inch to one inch seems reasonable. Skies may not clear until Monday night.

Expect high temperatures next week (March 24-30 to start out in the mid 70s and warm to low 80s with increasing humidity - but still hardly at summer levels. We might get some additional modest rainfall around April 1. I’m expecting a lot of April highs to stop in the 70s — not good news if you’re hoping to jump in that backyard pool or take a trip to the beach, but good news if you want a more prolonged spring.

Did you catch what went on in Tylertown, MS, just north of Kentwood this Saturday? In this graphic from WDSU, two tornadoes traveled a parallel path roughly 30 minutes apart. The distance between the two tracks was only two miles! Can you imagine going through one, losing power, going outside to check for any damage, and then another one comes along?

That’s really scary. That’s why people just up the road in tornado territory are told to have multiple ways of getting weather warnings using battery power and to build safe rooms. I’d rather deal with hurricanes. How about you?

Foreca graphic for Bellingrath Gardens which you should consider visiting this weekend during the height of the azalea season. Weekend highs low 70s will be perfect for strolling the huge grounds and much better than a trip to the beach. Because of the colder water temperatures, highs will barely crack 70 from Rain will hold off until Monday and it’s only a one-to-two hour drive.