497 FXUS64 KLIX 030513 AFDLIXArea Forecast Discussion National Weather Service New Orleans LA 1213 AM CDT Fri Oct 3 2025
...New SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, AVIATION, MARINE...
.KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1206 AM CDT Fri Oct 3 2025
- Rain and storm chances slowly increase through the weekend. Highest rain chances will be on Sunday.
- Winds and seas will remain hazardous through this weekend with Small Craft Advisory conditions.
- Minor coastal flooding along east facing shores of southeast LA, including portions of the tidal lakes, and Hancock, MS county is expected into the weekend.
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.SHORT TERM... (Today through Saturday) Issued at 1206 AM CDT Fri Oct 3 2025
Mid-level circulation center over southeast Louisiana this evening, with another over the Bahamas. Ridging extended from west Texas to the northern Plains States, with a deep trough approaching the Pacific coast. At the surface, strong high pressure was centered near Boston, with low pressure over the Bay of Campeche. The pressure gradient between the two was producing moderate easterly winds across our marine areas. Scattered showers and storms were being detected, mainly offshore of the southeast Louisiana coast at mid-evening.
The upper feature over southeast Louisiana isn`t going much of anywhere through Saturday, perhaps maybe a bit of a westward drift, as ridging builds to the north of the area. Precipitable water values ranged from about the 75th percentile across southeast portions of the area to the 25th percentile across the northwest during the evening, and current forecast guidance doesn`t really show that changing much through Saturday afternoon.
Most guidance shows little, if any, precipitation north of the Interstate 10 corridor through Saturday afternoon, and forecast soundings support that with instability being rather limited over land. Little change in precipitation probabilities from the previous forecast package through Saturday afternoon, with rainfall amounts exceeding one half inch generally remaining near and south of a Belle Chasse to Houma line, with any very heavy rain likely remaining well offshore.
Additional cloud cover and scattered precipitation are likely to hold high temperatures in the middle 80s across most of the area both today and Saturday, but could approach 90 across extreme northwest sections northwest of a McComb to Baton Rouge line.
With the strong high to the northeast and low pressure over the Bay of Campeche, the easterly low level flow over the coastal waters will continue to push water up on the east facing shorelines resulting in minor coastal flooding concerns starting this afternoon and continuing through Saturday into Sunday. Water levels of 1 to 2 feet above normally dry ground will be possible in the normally prone locations during high tide cycles around midday.
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.LONG TERM... (Saturday night through Thursday) Issued at 1206 AM CDT Fri Oct 3 2025
The upper circulation is expected to remain near or over the area through Monday before upper ridging pushes it out of the area. No indications that a well defined surface low pressure circulation moves onshore based on current wind forecasts of east to northeast winds and the forecast pressure pattern. The 00z run of the GFS does show a weak surface circulation (1010 mb) near Southwest Pass Sunday afternoon, but keeps it offshore.
Moisture levels do increase on Sunday as compared to Saturday, but there is disagreement as to how much. 00z GFS BUFR soundings show precipitable water values well above the 90th percentile for much of the area Sunday (in excess of 2 inches), with the NAM and other modeling that go out that far closer to the 75th percentile or so. This looks to be because the forecast 850 and 925 mb flow is onshore and stronger (20-30 knots) than the previous runs. Most guidance with the exception of the RRFS doesn`t support this. We`ll have to monitor these trends, because if banding of precipitation sets up in the wrong place (urban areas), it could produce problems, even though it`s been dry in most areas over the last month. If there is going to be a day with significant rainfall in more than isolated locations, it`ll be Sunday, as the mid levels begin to dry out on Monday. From Monday onward, it appears rain chances won`t be much more than 20 to 30 percent, if that much. Any threat of severe weather looks to be extremely low.
High temperatures look to be in the lower and middle 80s for most of the area on Sunday, then gradually creep up to the upper 80s by Tuesday through Thursday. However, if heavier rain does set up Sunday, those areas might not get out of the 70s. Overnight lows in the middle and upper 60s into the lower 70s away from marine influences.
The coastal flood threat could continue through Sunday`s high tide cycle before winds diminish enough to reduce the threat. Additionally, the astronomical tide ranges will be diminishing.
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.AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1206 AM CDT Fri Oct 3 2025
VFR conditions in place at all terminals at forecast issuance time. Can`t entirely rule out some MVFR conditions overnight at KHUM. SHRA/TSRA currently primarily remain offshore, but there is a band of SHRA south of the New Orleans terminals and could also work into KHUM over the next 3 hours or so. Will carry VCSH at the New Orleans terminals overnight and TEMPO at KHUM. Will only carry mention of convection on Friday at KHUM/KMSY/KNEW, using PROB30, but the threat is non-zero at KASD/KGPT and perhaps KHDC. Easterly winds of 15 knots likely to continue for much of the period at terminals near and south of Interstate 10, with gusts exceeding 20 knots possible at KNEW.
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.MARINE... Issued at 1206 AM CDT Fri Oct 3 2025
A seasonably strong pressure gradient between low pressure in the Bay of Campeche and high pressure over New England will bring hazardous conditions to the waters through the weekend. A prolonged easterly wind of 15 to 25 knots will persist through Sunday. The combination of wind waves and swell from a long fetch across the eastern Gulf will produce rough seas of 6 to 10 feet in the open Gulf waters and 3 to 6 feet in the sounds and tidal lakes. A Small Craft Advisory will remain in effect for all of the open Gulf waters and the tidal sounds, as well as Lake Borgne through Sunday evening due to these expected rough conditions. Small Craft Exercise Caution headlines may be necessary at times for Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas. Conditions will gradually improve Monday into Tuesday as high pressure becomes more centered over the area.
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.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MCB 85 65 86 66 / 0 0 0 10 BTR 87 67 88 69 / 10 0 10 20 ASD 84 66 83 67 / 10 10 20 40 MSY 84 73 84 74 / 30 20 30 40 GPT 84 69 84 69 / 10 10 20 50 PQL 84 66 83 68 / 10 10 20 50
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.LIX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LA...Coastal Flood Advisory from noon today to 6 PM CDT Sunday for LAZ069-070-076-078.
GM...Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM CDT Sunday for GMZ532-534-536- 538-555-557-575-577.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CDT Sunday for GMZ550-552-570- 572.
MS...Coastal Flood Advisory from noon today to 6 PM CDT Sunday for MSZ086.
GM...Small Craft Advisory until 6 PM CDT Sunday for GMZ534-536-538- 555-557-575-577.
Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CDT Sunday for GMZ552-570-572.
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NWS LIX Office Area Forecast Discussion