. . .Much Needed Rain Returns To The Area. . .

Short Term: On this Black Friday morning, the skies are mostly cloudy, and there are only a few showers. If you are planning on getting some of the early deals at the stores this morning, you should remain pretty dry. It is also very warm with temperatures in the upper 60s. However, if you plan on shopping all day, then you will want to grab your umbrella. . .

Unsettled weather will start to greet us beginning this afternoon. The skies will remain mostly cloudy, but scattered showers will start to pop up. I am not expecting an all day, continuous rain, but we will see showers coming through town from time to time. A few thunderstorms are also possible this afternoon, and a few of those could become strong with gusty winds, and some hail. The Storm Prediction Center continues to watch south Louisiana for the potential of these storms. Click here to see their thoughts.

The rain today is out ahead of a cold front that will be slowly moving to the south from the Great Plains. Along this front little disturbances will form, and they will help to set off the rain. An upper-level low, and trough of low pressure will be driving the front to the east over the next few days.

Temperatures will be pretty warm again today as southwest winds greet us. Highs will be in the lower to mid 70s.

The clouds will thicken tonight, and we will start to see more rain coming through. Periods of rain are expected, especially by Saturday morning. Lows will be pretty mild as they only fall into the lower 60s.

Weekend Forecast: Areas of rain will become more widespread as the day progresses. This is due to the area of low pressure that will form off the Texas coast, and move northeast toward Louisiana. This low will help form more rain, and it could become heavy at times. Rainfall totals on Saturday could reach around 1.00" in a few places. Some thunderstorms will be possible as well as the cold front moves through, and some of these storms could become strong with gusty winds again. It will be another warm day on Saturday with highs in the lower 70s.

The cold front will move through on Saturday night/Sunday morning. This will push the bulk of the rain to the east of Louisiana, but it will keep some clouds over us through much of Sunday. The high temperatures will be cooler only getting to around 60. Partly cloudy skies are expected on Sunday night, and it will be cooler with lows falling into the upper 30s.

Next Week Outlook: We will start to dry things out for next week. High pressure will build in across the Southeast U.S. by Monday, and that will give us partly cloudy skies. It will be a much cooler day with high temperatures only getting to the upper 50s. A light freeze will be possible Monday night with lows in the lower 30s.

Sunny and beautiful weather will return on Tuesday. It will be a little warmer with highs in the lower 60s. The pleasant and dry weather will continue on Wednesday with temperatures in the 60s, and lows in the lower 50s.

Some rain will be possible with the next cold front moving through on Thursday and Friday, otherwise, it will be mostly cloudy.

Tropical Update: All areas of the tropical Atlantic are quiet, and tropical cyclone formation is not expected through Saturday.