It will be a mild, if not warm finish to the workweek. Rain chances will steadily ramp up as we move through the weekend and into next week.

A *DENSE FOG ADVISORY* is in effect from midnight tonight to 10 am Thursday for the entire WBRZ Weather Forecast Area, except St. Mary Parish. Visibility of one-quarter mile or less could create difficult driving conditions. Slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.

Next 24 Hours: The overnight hours will be mostly clear and calm with low temperatures in the low 50s. Patchy, possibly dense, fog can be expected around dawn. Thursday will be a little warmer yet with high temperatures reaching the mid 70s in response to mostly sunny skies.

Up Next: Morning fog may continue to be a factor on Friday. The last day of the workweek will have high temperatures about 10 degrees above average, in the upper 70s. A few clouds may begin to appear as well. A couple of weak, upper level disturbances will ride through the area bringing a few chances for showers over the weekend. Since these disturbances are indeed weak, a key takeaway is that neither day looks like a washout. Many locations will not even get rain. The pattern looks to get a bit more unsettled early next week. A frontal system will bring a punch of showers and thunderstorms early Monday morning, but no significantly cooler air as the front fails to make a full pass into the Gulf of Mexico. While there could be a brief break on Tuesday, another chance for precipitation is pegged for Wednesday.  CLICK HERE for your detailed 7-Day Forecast.

The Tropics: For the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic, tropical development is not expected over the next five days. The official hurricane season has ended. It was the third most active on record in terms of named storms with 21. For recap of the top storms of the season, CLICK HERE.

The Explanation: A broad surface high pressure system will remain over the Southeast U.S. through the end of the week. In the upper levels of the atmosphere, flow will remain out of the northwest. This combination promotes a dry and gradually warming pattern as onshore flow slowly returns. With a subtle return of surface moisture indicated by rising dew points, night with clear skies and light winds will support fog development over the next few mornings. Afternoons will climb into the upper 70s with ample sunshine Thursday and Friday afternoons. By the weekend, the atmosphere will moisten up just a bit as the flow moves out of the southwest ahead of a fast-moving and weak wave of low pressure. In fact, several weak impulses could traverse the area with some passing showers. Since these are weak and fast-moving, timing them will be difficult until we get closer. For now, we have a few showers in the forecast for both days this weekend. Without a strong frontal passage, continued southwest winds aloft will prime the atmosphere with enough moisture for a more appreciable shot at precipitation early next week. A more substantial upper level trough of low pressure will move southeast towards into the region Sunday night into Monday with an associated cold front. With this, a band of showers and thunderstorms is anticipated and most locations should pick up measurable amounts. That front may stall or quickly drift back north as a warm front on Tuesday, so above average temperatures will continue.

--Josh

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