Flood Watches Posted for Louisiana – More ‘Excessive Rain’ Likely

Forecasters with the National Weather Service have placed much of Louisiana at substantial risk for excessive rain and associated street flooding later today. A stagnant weather pattern has prevailed over Louisiana for a little more than a week now. During the past ten days, the Lafayette airport has reported measurable precipitation on eight of them. Today looks to be no different.

In addition to the current through of low-pressure that extends southward into the Gulf of Mexico from the midwestern United States, forecasters say yet another disturbance could exacerbate rain across Louisiana. The other disturbance is located in the western Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to move northward up the Texas coast.

As the system advances northward it will bring even more moisture over and across Louisiana, hence the flood watches and risk of excessive rainfall once again for today.

The graphic, provided by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles, shows much of southwestern Louisiana and southeast Texas in the slight risk zone for an excessive rainfall event today. Much of the same area will be under a similar threat on Thursday.

As of now, Flood Watches have only been posted for Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes in Louisiana but those watches could be expanded, and based on the forecast and the current radar scans, that does appear likely as we move throughout the day on Wednesday.

Forecasters do anticipate a bit of a break in the rain for Friday and Saturday. Yes, rain chances will remain high but the coverage and intensity of this weekend's showers and storms is not anticipated to be quite as extensive as the showers and storms that will move over the region today.