BATON ROUGE — Residents in the Capitol City and surrounding parishes can move forward with weekend plans, despite unsettled weather, according to State Climatologist Jay Grymes.
While rain is expected Saturday and Sunday, Grymes says the Baton Rouge area is not expected to see winter weather impacts during the weekend.
“So for, Baton Rouge and areas east and southeast of Baton Rouge, we’re not ready to sound the all clear yet, but the threat looks near zero for any kind of real winter precipitation accumulation,” Grymes said. “I won’t rule out a flurry or some flakes, maybe even some ice crystals, but we’re not expecting really anything to get on the road.”
That means road conditions across East Baton Rouge Parish and neighboring areas should remain safe through the weekend, allowing residents to run errands, attend events, and complete cold-weather preparations ahead of the incoming freeze.
Grymes says the weekend window is important, as colder air will arrive late Sunday.
“The weekend will be relatively benign other than the rain, so you can still go ahead and get things done on Saturday and even into Sunday,” he said. “The cold stuff starts to arrive Sunday evening, Sunday night.”
Northern Louisiana Faces Much Greater Risk
While South Louisiana avoids ice accumulation, the story changes dramatically farther north.
“As you get north of U.S. 190, especially by the time we reach Alexandria, we could be looking at sufficient icing that it could close down areas of the state,” Grymes said.
He warned that northern Louisiana could face a significant and potentially dangerous ice event.
“I’m thinking the northern part of the state really could be looking at a crippling ice event by the time all this is over,” Grymes said.
Freezing rain poses a serious threat to power infrastructure, roads, and trees, especially in rural areas where outages could last longer.
Preparing for the Cold Ahead
Although winter precipitation is not expected in South Louisiana, Grymes warns that hard freezes are coming early next week and encourages residents to use the weekend to prepare.
“The coldest days are going to come Monday and Tuesday mornings,” Grymes said. “We’re talking about getting down into the mid-20s.”
Despite the cold mornings, temperatures should rise above freezing during the day, which Grymes says is positive news for most of the region.
“The good news is we should get above freezing,” he said, adding that the primary concern will be protecting pipes, pets, and plants from prolonged overnight freezes.
MORE: Upcoming Winter Storm: State of Emergency declared for Louisiana | “Saturday is going to be a statewide mess”
Snow Next Week? “It’s just too far out to be talking about”
As for another winter system later next week, Grymes says it’s too early to say whether snow is in the forecast.
“There is another system headed our way, but it’s just too far out to be talking about,” he said. “It’s certainly not going to happen in the first half of next week. As we get into the back end of next week, I’m officially not commenting on that.”
For now, Grymes emphasizes preparation over panic, especially in South Louisiana.
“For us down here — Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes — we’re looking at no ice accumulation,” he said. “But people still need to get their cold-weather preps done.”
Residents are encouraged to protect pipes, bring pets indoors, check heating equipment, and monitor forecasts as the cold air settles into the state early next week.
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
Support UWK and its mission to deliver The News You Deserve. Unfiltered. Become a monthly patron on Patreon today!
