The Farmer's Forecast: Potential Freeze This Week

By Nick Mikulas

Louisiana Farm Bureau News/Cenla Weather

Sometimes forecasting the weather isn’t an exact science. I’m sure every single one of you knows this. Thankfully, there are ways to share information that isn’t as black and white as, yes it will freeze, or no there won’t be a freeze.

Subtle differences in topography, higher than forecast soil moisture, or even a few clouds drifting by a location can impact a temperature by a few degrees. Here’s a graphic showing our current chance for temperatures to fall below freezing on Tuesday morning.

The chance ranges from nothing down along the coast, to a 50/50 chance around Alexandria, to a 70-80% chance in extreme northeastern parts of the state.

Models have slowly been trending colder, and with the high pressure centered very near our area, along with clear skies, I expect these chances to go up a bit after another round of models arrive.

I don’t know if we can call this the “Easter cold snap”, but it certainly looks like a chilly start to things on Tuesday. Beyond this, I can’t rule out another freeze before we warm up for good. I don’t see any strong signals for a freeze, but more cool air will arrive toward the end of the month.

I’ll keep an eye on it, and let you know if another freeze is possible. For now, take any precautions to protect tender vegetation tonight.