347  
FXUS64 KLCH 180933  
AFDLCH  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA  
333 AM CST TUE FEB 18 2025  
   
..NEW SHORT TERM, LONG TERM, MARINE
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
- A COLD FRONT AND COASTAL LOW WILL BRING ABOUT A MARGINAL RISK  
OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL AND SEVERE WEATHER TODAY INTO TONIGHT  
 
- HAZARDOUS WINDS AND SEAS LIKELY TO OCCUR OVER MARINE ZONES  
DURING THE MID-WEEK  
 
- HAZARDOUSLY COLD TEMPERATURES AND WIND CHILLS ARE EXPECTED  
AREAWIDE BOTH WED AND THURS NIGHTS  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM
 
 
(TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT)  
ISSUED AT 330 AM CST TUE FEB 18 2025  
 
A QUIET START TO YOUR TUESDAY IS ONGOING ACROSS THE GULF COAST  
THIS MORNING HOWEVER, A MESSY WEATHER PATTERN WILL ARRIVE LATER  
TODAY BRING A MARGINAL RISK OF BOTH SEVERE WEATHER AND EXCESSIVE  
RAINFALL TO THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA. OBSERVATIONS ACROSS THE  
REGION THIS MORNING SHOW INCREASINGLY CLOUDY SKIES, LIGHT WINDS,  
AND TEMPS RANGING FROM THE MID 30S TO LOWER 50S. BOTH WATER VAPOR  
AND IR SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOW A SURGE OF MOISTURE APPROACHING FROM  
THE W/SW THIS MORNING, INDICATING WHAT IS TO COME TODAY. OVER  
ROUGHLY THE NEXT 24 HOURS, A COLD FRONT AND SURFACE LOW (CURRENTLY  
SITUATED FROM NE NEW MEXICO TO OKLAHOMA) WILL PUSH SOUTH ACROSS  
TX WITH A STRONG SURFACE HIGH AND ARCTIC AIRMASS ON ITS HEALS. AT  
THE SAME TIME, ANOTHER SURFACE LOW AND STATIONARY BOUNDARY OVER  
SOUTH TX WILL BEGIN TO LIFT N/NE. EVENTUALLY THESE TWO SYSTEM WILL  
BECOME ONE OVER SE TX/THE NW GULF LATER THIS EVENING. THE SURFACE  
LOW WILL THEN EJECT EASTWARD ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST  
TONIGHT, WITH THE TRAILING ARCTIC AIRMASS FILTERING DOWN INTO THE  
FORECAST AREA AT THE SAME TIME.  
 
AS ALL OF THIS UNFOLDS TODAY, SIGNIFICANT GULF MOISTURE WILL  
BEGIN TO SURGE NORTH INTO THE FORECAST AREA, WITH FORECAST  
SOUNDING SHOWING PWATS RISING ABOVE THE 90TH PERCENTILE BY THIS  
AFTERNOON. THIS WILL SUPPORT ELEVATED RAINFALL RATES WHICH IN  
ADDITION TO POTENTIAL TRAINING CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO LEAD TO  
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 1-2" RANGE (HIGHER AMOUNTS NEAR  
THE COAST). THEREFORE, THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA HAS BEEN OUTLINED  
IN A MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1 OF 4) FOR EXCESSIVE RAINFALL TODAY.  
IN ADDITION, THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK (LEVEL 1 OF 5) FOR SEVERE  
WEATHER TODAY/TONIGHT (EXCLUDING CENTRAL LA). WHILE INSTABILITY  
WILL BE RATHER LACKING, SHEAR IS EXPECTED TO BE FAVORABLE FOR  
SEVERE STORMS, PARTICULARLY DAMAGING HAIL, WITH A LESSER THREAT  
FOR DAMAGING WINDS/HAIL EXISTING ALONG THE COAST.  
 
CONVECTION WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF WEST TO EAST AROUND MIDNIGHT  
TONIGHT, AS THE ARCTIC AIRMASS ARRIVES AND PUSHES THE WARM/MOIST  
AIR OFF TO THE EAST. STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL ALLOW TEMPS TO  
FALL TO THE LOWER 30S TO LOWER 40S BY SUNRISE TOMORROW, WITH VERY  
MINIMAL WARMING EXPECTED THEREAFTER. HIGHS TOMORROW AFTERNOON ARE  
ONLY EXPECTED TO REACH THE LOWER 40S TO LOWER 50S, AMID PARTLY  
CLOUDY SKIES AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS. SIGNIFICANT 1044MB SURFACE  
HIGH CONTINUES TO BUILD SOUTH ACROSS THE PLAINS AS WE HEAD INTO  
TOMORROW NIGHT, ALLOWING DRY AIR TO CONTINUE TO FILTER INTO THE  
FORECAST AREA. THIS WILL ALLOW OVERNIGHT LOWS TO PLUMMET INTO THE  
20S AREA-WIDE TOMORROW NIGHT, AMID MAINLY CLEAR SKIES. ONLY  
LIMITING FACTOR FOR COOLING WILL BE WINDS, WHICH ARE EXPECTED TO  
REMAIN BREEZY OVERNIGHT.  
 
PRETTY MUCH A RINSE A REPEAT OF WEDNESDAY'S FORECAST IS EXPECTED  
FOR THURSDAY, WITH THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BEING WINDS FINALLY BEGIN  
TO RELAX SOME AS THE PLAINS SURFACE HIGH CONTINUES TO BUILD  
SOUTH. EXPECT HIGHS TO "WARM" INTO THE LOW TO MID 40S THURS  
AFTERNOON, WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS AGAIN FALLING INTO THE 20S, BOTH  
AROUND 20 DEGREES BELOW SEASONAL NORMS. COLD WEATHER PRODUCTS WILL  
LIKELY BE ISSUED FOR BOTH WED AND THUR NIGHTS OVER THE NEXT  
COUPLE OF FORECAST PACKAGES.  
 
17  
 

 
   
LONG TERM
 
 
(FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)  
ISSUED AT 330 AM CST TUE FEB 18 2025  
 
THE CENTRAL CONUS SURFACE HIGH WILL GRADUALLY WEAKEN AND SHIFT  
EAST/SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF THE LONG TERM PERIOD,  
ALLOWING FOR A SLOW AND STEADY WARMING TREND TO COMMENCE. FRI/FRI  
NIGHT WILL AGAIN BRING WELL BELOW AVERAGE TEMPS, WITH HIGHS IN THE  
40S AND OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 30S ON TAP.  
 
A SURFACE TROUGH WILL TAKE SHAPE ALONG THE LOWER TX COAST LATE FRI  
INTO THE WEEKEND, BRINGING BACK SMALL RAIN CHANCES THROUGH FRI  
NIGHT. RAIN CHANCES THEN INCREASE FURTHER THROUGHOUT SATURDAY AS  
THE SURFACE TROUGH MEANDERS OVER THE NW GULF WHILE AN UPPER LEVEL  
SHORTWAVE EJECTS ACROSS THE ARK-LA-TEX AT THE SAME TIME. THESE  
FEATURES WILL SUPPORT SCATTERED SHOWER ACTIVITY THROUGHOUT  
SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY MORNING, WITH PRECIP EVENTUALLY TAPERING OFF  
WEST TO EAST THROUGH SUN MORNING/EARLY AFTERNOON. DRY NWRLY FLOW  
ALOFT AND WEAK SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN COMBINE TO BRING  
DRY WEATHER THROUGH THE START OF THE NEW WORK WEEK.  
 
TEMPERATURE WISE, A STEADY INCREASE IN DAYTIME HIGHS/OVERNIGHT  
LOWS IS EXPECTED SAT THROUGH TUES, WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S TO  
UPPER 50S ON SAT REBOUNDING INTO THE MID TO UPPER 70S BY TUES,  
WHILE OVERNIGHT LOWS INCREASE FROM THE MID 30S TO MID 40S SAT  
NIGHT INTO THE LOW TO MID 50S BY TUES NIGHT.  
 
17  
 

 
   
AVIATION
 
 
(06Z TAFS)  
ISSUED AT 1142 PM CST MON FEB 17 2025  
 
MVFR CEILINGS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE NEARSHORE COASTAL WATERS  
AND ARE NOW SPREADING INLAND ACROSS BPT AND MAY OVERSPREAD LCH  
OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. THIS CLOUD LAYER WILL BE INTERMITTENT THROUGH  
THE MORNING WITH CEILINGS LIKELY FLUCTUATING BETWEEN VFR AND  
MVFR. ELSEWHERE, VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH MID  
MORNING.  
 
A DEVELOPING LOW OVER EAST TEXAS WILL TRANSIT THE REGION THIS  
AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT INCREASING EASTERLY WINDS FROM MID MORNING  
AND PRODUCING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM LATE  
AFTERNOON. MVFR CEILINGS WILL BECOME MORE PREVALENT BY THIS  
AFTERNOON LIKELY FALLING TO IFR AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER SUNSET.  
 
JONES  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
ISSUED AT 330 AM CST TUE FEB 18 2025  
 
E TO SE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO GRADUALLY STRENGTHEN LATER THIS  
MORNING AS A SURFACE LOW APPROACHES ALONG THE TEXAS AND LOUISIANA  
COASTLINE. AS A RESULT, A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR  
ALL ZONES FROM 18Z TODAY THROUGH 12Z TOMORROW. THERE WILL BE A  
BRIEF PERIOD WHERE WINDS LIKELY FALL BELOW CRITERIA TONIGHT  
HOWEVER, WINDS AND SEAS WILL QUICKLY PICK UP AGAIN AS A COLD FRONT  
CROSSES THE AREA AND THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS. THESE  
FEATURES WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND  
THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING BECOMING WIDESPREAD THIS AFTERNOON INTO  
TONIGHT, TAPERING OFF EARLY WEDNESDAY BEHIND THE FRONT. TOMORROW  
THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW WITH  
HAZARDOUS SEAS WILL PERSISTS, PROMPTING THE ISSUANCE OF A GALE  
WATCH FOR THE OUTER ZONES BEGINNING AT 12Z TOMORROW (CONTINUING  
THE SCA ELSEWHERE).  
 

 
   
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
 
 
AEX 60 32 43 21 / 30 90 0 0  
LCH 62 40 49 25 / 50 90 0 0  
LFT 64 41 50 26 / 30 100 0 0  
BPT 63 41 51 28 / 60 90 0 0  
 

 
   
LCH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
LA...NONE.  
TX...NONE.  
GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR GMZ430-  
432-435-436.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR  
GMZ450-452-455.  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR  
GMZ470-472-475.  
 
GALE WATCH FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON  
FOR GMZ470-472-475.  
 

 
 

 
 
SHORT TERM...17  
LONG TERM....17  
AVIATION...66  
 
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