Once the rain sets in today it will be with us through the evening and overnight hours, basically an all day steady rain for many areas. Rain is likely to be falling in all areas from late this morning through the afternoon, with rain slowly tapering from west to east tonight into Thursday morning. A few isolated thunderstorms may develop that will be capable of brief heavy rain and lightning, but with the cold air in place no severe weather is expected.
In addition to the rain, we will also be dealing with a breezy east wind and very cold temperatures. Highs will range from the low 40s north of I-30, to the upper 40s in Texarkana, and right around 50 degrees in Shreveport. It will feel cooler than that due to wind and rain so make sure you have a jacket in addition to an umbrella. Wind will turn to the northwest behind the cold front late in the day.
While we don’t expect to see any heavy rain or flash flooding today, roads will be slick throughout the morning and afternoon/evening commute. Most areas will average between half an inch and one inch of rainfall, but accumulations between 1 to 2 inches may be seen across much of east Texas. This is where the worst drought conditions exist, so this will be beneficial rainfall.
Overcast skies will be the theme tonight and tomorrow. We do have a chance of an isolated rain shower lingering into Thursday so we have included a 20 percent chance of rain in Thursday’s forecast, and that would be before the noon hour. The clouds will keep us cold, with morning temperatures in the 30s and afternoon highs in the 40s and low 50s.
After a messy and cold work week, we will be rewarded with dry and sunny weather this weekend. Highs should be near 60 degrees Saturday and Sunday which is near normal for early December. Much of next week is looking dry and pleasant as well.