Quiet this afternoon, then a real fall chill settles in this weekend

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Only high clouds are drifting over southeast Louisiana and south Mississippi this afternoon, so you can expect another quiet, rain-free Friday with highs in the mid 70s. A reinforcing cold front is on the way tonight, and it will push through into early Saturday morning. Winds will turn northerly and pick up as the front moves in. Drier air will follow right behind it.

The colder air takes its time to arrive, so the chill really shows up by Sunday morning. Lows will fall into the low to mid 40s across the northern half of the area. Coastal southeast Louisiana will see low to mid 50s. That’s the coldest we’ve felt in a couple of weeks, so grab the jacket before you head out. Out on the Gulf, winds will run 10 to 15 knots tonight, then northeast winds will gust up to 20 knots over the weekend.

All that dry air, on top of the ongoing drought, will raise the fire weather risk from Sunday through Tuesday, especially along and west of I-55. Winds should weaken Sunday and Monday, when humidity bottoms out. That keeps conditions below critical levels, and no Red Flag Warnings are expected right now. Keep that in mind if you live under a burn ban and hold off on any burning. Clouds will increase early next week, but rain chances stay under 10 percent and mainly along the coast. More fronts could follow next weekend, though it’s too soon to say how strong they’ll be. Keep checking the Fox 8 weather app for the latest.

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