BATON ROUGE — A winter storm watch for parts of the Baton Rouge area goes into effect Friday morning. The watch starts at 6 a.m. Friday and lasts through 6 p.m. for parts of southeast Louisiana. According to state climatologist Jay Grymes, confidence is “high” for an impactful and dangerous winter weather event this weekend.
Read more: How to protect your pipes and preparing for extended freeze ahead of winter storm
Areas in the watch could see ice accumulation, which could cause hazardous road conditions. power outages, and falling limbs that can damage buildings.
Freezing rain and icing could create dangerous conditions for a large portion of the northern half of the state. Ice accumulations of 0.5″ to 1.0″ would have crippling results with potential widespread closures into next week.
READ MORE: Protecting your plants after cold weather
Grymes says the latest models have shifted, and the southern extent of the “icing line” moved north, potentially taking the I-10/12 corridor out of the threat zone. But, he warns, with more than two days still to go, the possibility of freezing rain reaching I-10, especially in SW Louisiana is not zero.
According to Grymes, power outages and other infrastructure problems could range from localized to widespread for the northern half of the state where cold weather will elevate the potential for house fires, carbon-monoxide poisoning, and hypothermia exposure.
Original story
BATON ROUGE — A major winter storm expected to sweep across much of the central and eastern United States later this week could bring dangerous freezing rain to parts of Louisiana. The Baton Rouge area faces a risk of ice accumulation, though there remains significant uncertainty in the forecast.
According to forecasts from the National Weather Service and the Weather Prediction Center, the expansive storm system is expected to develop over the Southern Plains on Friday before shifting east through Sunday. While areas north of Louisiana are more likely to see heavy ice accumulation, south Louisiana sits near the southern edge of the freezing rain zone, where even small temperature changes could significantly impact conditions.
Baton Rouge: Elevated ice risk, not a gurantee
Current projections show Baton Rouge with roughly a 15% chance of receiving at least one-tenth of an inch of freezing rain. While it’s not a significant amount, it can still cause hazardous travel conditions, particularly on our many bridges, overpasses, and elevated roadways.
Forecasters say the highest risk zone locally extends across southwest Mississippi and into Louisiana parishes north of Interstates 10 and 12, including the Baton Rouge metro area. Confidence decreases sharply farther south.
While Baton Rouge remains on the lower end of the probability scale, officials emphasize that ice impacts do not require high probabilities to become dangerous, especially during overnight and early morning hours.
A degree shift in either direction can impact the forecast.
Winter storm threat
The widespread winter storm is likely across the mid and deep South starting Friday and lasting through the weekend. There’s potential for damaging ice and heavy snow for millions from Texas and Oklahoma stretching through Tennessee and the Carolinas.
“Confidence continues to increase on an expansive major winter storm impacting much of the southern and eastern portions of the Country Friday through Sunday,” NWS forecasters said.
Meteorologists caution that small shifts in storm track or surface temperatures could either increase or significantly reduce impacts across the region. The National Weather Service continues to stress forecast uncertainty and urges residents to monitor updates closely through the week.
This is a developing story. As soon as more details are provided, the story will be updated. Check back for new information.
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