Dry and breezy this afternoon, but Halloween weekend rain is on the way

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - This afternoon is dry across southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi coast, but that dry stretch comes with a catch. Drought conditions, dry fuels, low humidity and light to moderate winds keep the fire danger elevated through the rest of today. Keep that in mind if you’re planning any outdoor burning, and obey all burn bans in place. Be extra careful with open flames even if your parish or county doesn’t have a ban. Thin cirrus clouds overhead are leftovers from Tropical Storm Vance out in the eastern Pacific, and those clouds are the reason fog struggled to form this morning. Where skies do clear tonight, patchy fog is possible as temperatures fall toward 52 degrees.

Winds turn more easterly late today into Friday and stay that way through the weekend. That sets up a coastal flood concern. Combined with a king tide cycle, the east wind pushes water levels higher around high tide each day. Hancock County looks like the first spot to see minor nuisance flooding. A Coastal Flood Advisory is in effect from 1 AM to 5 AM Friday for the Mississippi coast. More coastal locations could be added through the weekend, though flooding should stay minor and not widespread. Out on the open Gulf, winds pick up again later today. Additional Small Craft Advisories are on the way, with seas of 3 to 6 feet.

Rain chances return as Vance’s moisture gets sling shotted inland over northern Mexico and Texas. That pushes a line of higher dew point air our way late Friday. Look for showers and a few storms to move in around noon Saturday or shortly after, and a few passing showers may linger Sunday. This setup does not look supportive of severe weather, but keep the Fox 8 Weather app handy if you have Halloween plans.

The bigger story may come next week. A strong trough digging across the central U.S. will push a cold front toward us around midweek. Rain chances climb Wednesday into early Thursday, and a few strong storms can’t be ruled out. Timing is still a question mark, and temperatures stay 5 to 8 degrees above average until that front arrives.

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