A punch of cool and dry has delivered the coolest air of the week. After a cool Tuesday, temperatures and moisture will gradually increase thereafter. Eventually, the pattern turns more unsettled. Many could be dodging showers and storms over the holiday weekend.

Today & Tonight: The capital area will be off to a cold start early Tuesday, with lows in the 30s in the capital city. Some areas could even see another freeze, especially along and north of the interstate. Like recent days, we’ll warm up fairly quick once the sun rises. However, a reinforcing shot of cool air from a weak cold front on Monday night will result in a cooler day overall. Highs will only reach the lower-60s in Baton Rouge. High clouds will return to the region on Tuesday, which will help moderate temperatures on Tuesday night. Although we might still dip into the 30s, lows should be a touch warmer early Wednesday.

Up Next: Temperatures gradually warm through the rest of the week. It’s not just temperatures that increase, but also humidity. That will open the door for a few waves of showers and storms over the holiday weekend. For now, we’re introducing a small shower chance on Friday with increasing odds on Saturday. We also have to keep a storm chance into Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. That said, there is still plenty of time for things to change. We’ll get a better understanding of the storm system(s) as we get closer to the weekend.

-- Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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