New Orleans area to see wet Christmas Eve, stormy Christmas Day ...

Expect a wet Christmas Eve, with more rain and the possibility of dangerous thunderstorms - even a strong tornado or straight line winds of 75 mph or greater - on Christmas Day in the New Orleans area, according to the Slidell office of the National Weather Service.

Forecasters issued a special weather statement to warn of the two spates of stormy weather. A cold front will bring showers and thunderstorms into the area on Monday, with the front stalling near the coast in the afternoon. While widespread severe weather isn't expected on Monday, an isolated severe storm or two is possible, forecasters said.

More problematical is what will happen late Monday night and Tuesday morning, when the front unstalls, moving north as a warm front as a surface low also moves northeastward over the area.

That will be followed by a cold front moving out of the west, and the unstable air between the two fronts could spark severe weather,, including straight line winds, isolated tornadoes or large hail, most likely occurring north of Interstates 10 and 12.

"The Storm Prediction Center is currently indicating a slight risk of severe weather across the entire region Tuesday, but this could be upgraded, if confidence continuest to increase over the coming days," the statement said.

The possibility of severe weather will continue until the cold front sweeps through the area Tuesday evening, the statement said. Forecasters warned residents to review their severe weather plans and to continue to monitor forecasts over the next two days.

Rainfall could total between 1 and 2 inches on Monday and Tuesday, with higher amounts likely on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain.

With the rapidly changing frontal systems, expect to see some fast changes in temperature during the next few days. Highs on Monday and Tuesday will be in the mid-70s in New Orleans, dropping to the mid-60s overnight Monday, and into the mid-40s on Tuesday night.

On Wednesday, the thermometer will reach only the lower 50s, despite a return to sunny skies, with temperatures dropping into the upper 30s in New Orleans and the upper 20s on the Northshore overnight, and staying in the lower 50s during the day Thursday.

Another cold front approaches on Friday, with more rain showers expected in the afternoon, as temperatures climb to the lower 60s. The chance of rain continues on Saturday, and temperatures will drop to the mid-30s in New Orleans and mid-20s on the Northshore Saturday night.?

Source: http://www.nola.com/weather/index.ssf/2012/12/new_orleans_area_to_see_wet_ch.html

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