Thursday appears to start off soggy with widespread showers and thunderstorms moving in just in time for the morning drive. While the rain will benefit lawns and gardens and cool things off, plan for extra travel time on the roads early in the day. A standard summer pattern returns for Friday and Saturday, but prepare for another uptick in storm activity heading into Sunday.

Tonight & Tomorrow: Afternoon thunderstorms may taper toward nightfall, but expect a second wave of rain later in the night. An organized cluster of storms will arrive from the northwest overnight, reaching southwest Mississippi and areas north of Baton Rouge between 2 and 4 in the morning. That line of gusty, lightning-heavy storms will sweep through the Baton Rouge Metro between 4 and 7 a.m., lining up with the morning commute. Plan to leave a bit earlier Thursday morning, as wet roads and heavy rain will likely slow the drive into work. Meteorologist Balin Rogers will be tracking the storms live with updates every 10 minutes on 2une-In starting at 5 a.m. — watch HERE.

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Though Thursday gets off to a wet start, expect rain to taper off by mid-to-late morning. With much of the energy spent by afternoon, storm activity will become more isolated through the rest of the day. Cloud cover and leftover showers will keep temperatures cool, with highs not leaving the mid-80s.

Up Next: Drier air will gradually work into the region on Friday, lowering the rain coverage. Expect nothing more than an isolated afternoon thunderstorm as highs warm back into the 90s. With dry air sliding directly overhead on Saturday, storm chances will drop to a minimum. However, another upper-level disturbance will approach the area on Sunday and hug the Gulf Coast through early next week. This will result in another uptick in shower and thunderstorm chances to wrap up the weekend and usher in a new workweek.

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The Tropics: An area of low pressure located in the tropical Atlantic remains somewhat disorganized. Conditions are slightly favorable for development over the next couple of days. A tropical depression could form over the next day or two, but it is worth noting that development odds have dropped since Tuesday. If the system doesn’t acquire tropical characteristics by the weekend, its development window will close.

— Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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