A powerful cold front is closing in and is about to deliver a winter chill. Use any remaining time this weekend to protect plants, pets, and even pipes before it sets in.

Tonight & Tomorrow: A strong cold front will sweep through the region early Sunday. Ahead of it, it will stay mild and a touch muggy. Spotty showers and thunderstorms may take advantage of such conditions after dark, especially as the front moves into town. The boundary should clear Metro Baton Rouge around daybreak, give or take an hour or so. Behind it, skies will quickly clear and temperatures will tumble — dropping from near 70° to around 60° in one hour. Winds will also pick up out of the north and reach speeds of 15-20 mph through the day, driving cooler air toward the coast. Highs will rebound into the upper 60s around midday but struggle to do so.

The cooler air will also come with a much drier atmosphere. Combined with the gusty winds, this could lead to an increased fire danger. While conditions shouldn’t reach Red Flag Warning criteria, it’s best to use caution while burning outdoors or avoid doing so altogether, if possible.

Arctic Chill Settles In: Use the remaining time this weekend to prepare for next week’s cold temperatures. Take precautions to protect plants, as a killing frost/freeze is possible. Ensure pets will have access to warmth. Also, disconnect garden hoses and winterize sprinkler systems. Areas north of the interstate might also want to wrap pipes as a precaution.

Temperatures will rapidly fall Sunday night, bottoming out in the mid to upper 30s on Monday morning. A steady north breeze around 10-15 mph should limit widespread frost, but it will make it feel much colder. Expect wind chills near, or even a few degrees below, freezing. Coats will be a must from start to finish as highs struggle to reach the mid-50s, and that persistent wind will add an extra bite to the air. The breeze will finally ease Monday night, but that’s a double-edged sword. Calmer winds will allow temperatures to drop even faster and could support frost formation in spots that don’t quite hit the freezing mark. Baton Rouge is likely to dip near 30°, which would set a new record low. Areas north and east of the city should fall into the 20s. Forecast guidance continues to trend colder, and with some locations flirting with the mid-20s, those north of I-12 should start taking steps to protect pipes.

Rest of the Week: This brief winter chill won’t last long; temperatures will begin a warming trend on Veterans’ Day. Each day through the rest of the week, a few more degrees will be added to both highs and lows. By the week’s end, highs will reach the 70s with lows in the 50s.

The Tropics: For the Gulf, Caribbean, and Atlantic, all is quiet. No new tropical development is expected over the next seven days.

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— Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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