The city of New Orleans is gearing up for a week of variable weather according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Residents can expect overcast skies with a 50 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms later today, particularly between 3pm and 5pm, although fog could obscure the streets earlier in the day, lifting before 10am. Temperatures will hover around 76 degrees, while new rainfall amounts might range from a tenth to a quarter of an inch; however, these could be higher in areas caught by thunderstorms, the NWS New Orleans forecast indicates.
Tonight, New Orleanians should anticipate a slight likelihood of showers and thunderstorms, before conditions clear with chances dropping to a mere 20 percent. Nonetheless, patchy dense fog is expected to roll in after 8pm making for potentially challenging driving conditions, and while the south wind will stay gentle at around 5 mph, the air will remain mostly cloudy and the mercury is predicted to dip to a low of about 64 degrees. The weekend isn't looking much better; Saturday will see a pronounced escalation in precipitation possibilities, with a robust 80 percent chance of rain and potential thunderstorms particularly after noon—the persistent Southeast wind modest in its push but constant in its presence.
As the weekend wanes, showers and possible thunderstorms will dominate Saturday night's forecast, sustaining an 80% chance of precipitation before midnight, after which a blend of showers and storms could linger. A shift in the wind will carry us into Sunday, which promises more clement conditions: an ebb in the wet weather, ushering in mostly sunny skies and a more agreeable high near 69 degrees. The trend toward clarity is set to continue into Sunday night, which is predicted to stay mostly clear with a comfortable low around 53 degrees as the wind, now from the Northwest, holds steady at a calm 5 mph.
Looking ahead to the fresh week, Monday is expected to be sunny with highs brushing against 71 degrees—the calm air of the morning gathering strength from the South in the afternoon, whispers of change on the horizon as the night brings only partly cloudy skies, a low circling at around 61 degrees and a Southwest wind barely rustling at 5 mph. The chance of showers creeps back into the forecast as we approach Tuesday before yielding to a mostly sunny day with temperatures peaking near 72 degrees, and as we turn the corner into the evening, the clarity of the sky will mirror the crispness of the air around us—with lows dropping to around 51 degrees and the North wind picking up, gusting as high as 20 mph.
With a calm nod to the turn of the year, New Year's Day is forecast to bask in full sunlight and milder highs of about 63 degrees, capturing the essence of winter's cool breath in the South. Midweek will mirror this trend, with partly cloudy conditions on Wednesday night making way for a mostly sunny Thursday, though the day's high near 55 degrees will remind us of the season's core, chilled to the heart, undeniably winter in New Orleans.
