Louisiana Weather

[NCB]

Man was it hot today! 90's all around New Orleans, and it doesn't help having high humidity and being in a very dense and urban area. Is it winter yet!?

[SlidellWX]

Nope. Slightly above normal temps through the weekend. Normal is around 86 right now. We've been around 88 most of the week. Welcome to Summer. Hope you enjoyed the cold front last week. We won't be seeing one for a while.

Looks like the NHC is taking the ending of La Nina into consideration with the latest projections. A range of 13 to 16 really tells you they are thinking more likely 14 named storms this season. They put in a little fudge factor just in case it goes higher. That's 3 less than Gray's forecast in April. Also...our water temps are a bit lower than last year...which also helps in having less intense storms. Our season will be driven by more localized phenomena in the Gulf and Carribean as opposed to Cape Verde storms like we had last year. That's what I'm seeing right now.

It's gonna be a hot one for the Greek Festival in NOLA this weekend.

[NCB]

Our season will be driven by more localized phenomena in the Gulf and Carribean as opposed to Cape Verde storms like we had last year.

Do you think you could elaborate further on this? I'm interested in knowing exactly what you're talking about.

[SlidellWX]

From what we're seeing set up...although the Cape Verde season will be active...it looks like a strong enough westerly wind over the southern US will cause the storms to turn much quicker than they did last year. As a result...FL and areas along the East Coast will have a better chance of getting hit this year by those type of storms. Katrina was a Cape Verde system...but it weakened significantly before reenergizing over the Bahamas by merging with another low. The main thing we will have to watch out for systems that develop along weak troughs of low pressure coming up from the Carribean. These often form when you get a strong thunderstorm complex developing over the Islands such as Cuba and Haiti. If you get enough days of thunderstorm development...you create what we call a baroclinic zone...or in laymans terms...a temperature and pressure difference between the areas without rain and those with rain. Low pressure systems tend form in these zones as the atmosphere balances out the temperature difference. If these lows spin up enough...you get a tropical wave which could then turn into a tropical storm or hurricane. Luckily...these systems usually take a while to develop...so they tend to be weaker at landfall. Also...water temperatures in the Gulf are running about a degree cooler than last year. Thus...the storm has less energy to work with...and cannot strengthen as rapidly. Plus...if we do have some shear...strong westerlies...over us as I expect...that will also hamper tropical development. The pattern this year...should be more typical of what we saw in the mid 90s and early 2000's when we had ENSO neutral conditions.

That said...even a tropical storm can cause problems. Tropical Storm Allison caused alot of flooding in 2001.

[NCB]

^Thanks alot for that info. I'm glad to hear that it looks like we will have some shear over us with the westerlies, and that Gulf temperatures are lower than last year. I know even a tropical storm could cause problems for the city, but anyone in New Orleans would rather have that than a major hurricane right now, so it's good to hear things look a bit better than they did last year in terms of the chance of NOLA getting struck by a major hurricane.

[richyb83]

Between 1995 and 2005, the Atlantic season has averaged 15 named storms, just over eight named hurricanes and four major hurricanes, according to the National Hurricane Center. Before this latest above-normal cycle, from 1971 to 1994, there were an average of 8.5 named storms, five hurricanes and just over one major hurricane.

WAFB Weather today said between 2000-2005 was the busiest five-year period in the Gulf of Mexico for named Storms in recorded history ! That's not really much of a suprise. It's been nasty in the Gulf the past 3 years. Let's hope for the best !

I think we can probably see at least 4 or 5 named storms in the Gulf, and 1 or 2 of those becoming Hurricanes.

When Katrina was at cat.# 5 for awhile, it was the warmest spot in the Gulf. The water temp. was 86 or 87 ? I hope the slightly cooler water is enough to make a difference in possibly becoming major. Shear is always a good term to hear ! Hopefully it will rip the tops of the storms off.

Edited May 26, 2006 by richyb83

[NCB]

When Katrina was at cat.# 5 for awhile, it was the warmest spot in the Gulf. The water temp. was 86 or 87 ? I hope the slightly cooler water is enough to make a difference in possibly becoming major. Shear is always a good term to hear ! Hopefully it will rip the tops of the storms off.

That's what I'm hoping too. Watching Katrina barrel towards New Orleans was scary as hell in itself, but watching it continue to get bigger and stronger during that period was really something. There was just nothing stopping it. Hopefully cooler water temeratures and wind shear will stop that from happening again this year.

[NCB]

Well, it's around 98 degrees here right now, and it feels like it's just as humid.

[richyb83]

Yeah it's HOT ! 90's are the rule around here for the next 3 1/2 months.

The drier weather looks like it has kicked back in too.

[NCB]

Yeah it's HOT ! 90's are the rule around here for the next 3 1/2 months.

Yea, it looks like the beautiful Saturday we had will be the last nice break from the heat we'll be getting from quite some time. But it was nice just to have that, a very nice and unexpected break from the heat and humidity.

[richyb83]

I noticed some rain passed thru Shreveport earlier this afternoon cooling temps. to a nice 75 degrees. While the rest of the State baked in the 90's.

[NCB]

We got quite a bit of rain today from what I believe was that storm that passed over Shreveport last night. It was a great and very much needed cooling rain!

[richyb83]

That's great yall got that much needed rain. We only got some light rain and sprinkles.

[dimebag1980]

My power was out for about a half hour last night as a line of intense storms rolled through. My wife and I went to the Waffle House to eat and we noticed the sky was growing darker. When we left the restaurant and got back in the car, my wife noticed my mother had called to warn us that the storms were heading out of Bossier and toward us in Haughton. We live only a couple of blocks from Waffle House, so we were home in no time. I got a couple of small tasks completed in the yard and was inside before the storms hit. They were pretty intense, but fortunately they'd weakened in intensity before making it to Haughton. But they knocked out the signal from KTAL Channel 6 so I wasn't able to see Last Comic Standing. I was able to 'hear' it, though, and since it's a comedy show at least hearing it was halfway decent!!

[NCB]

They were pretty intense, but fortunately they'd weakened in intensity before making it to Haughton. But they knocked out the signal from KTAL Channel 6 so I wasn't able to see Last Comic Standing. I was able to 'hear' it, though, and since it's a comedy show at least hearing it was halfway decent!!

That happens to me a lot with DirecTV, but it always seems to happen when I'm watching an action movie or something.

[Mith242]

My power was out for about a half hour last night as a line of intense storms rolled through. My wife and I went to the Waffle House to eat and we noticed the sky was growing darker. When we left the restaurant and got back in the car, my wife noticed my mother had called to warn us that the storms were heading out of Bossier and toward us in Haughton. We live only a couple of blocks from Waffle House, so we were home in no time. I got a couple of small tasks completed in the yard and was inside before the storms hit. They were pretty intense, but fortunately they'd weakened in intensity before making it to Haughton. But they knocked out the signal from KTAL Channel 6 so I wasn't able to see Last Comic Standing. I was able to 'hear' it, though, and since it's a comedy show at least hearing it was halfway decent!!

I was actually watching that show last night. First time I'd ever seen it.

[dimebag1980]

I was actually watching that show last night. First time I'd ever seen it.

I'm going to try not to go too far off-topic here, but I figured I'd reply. I watched the first 2 seasons of that show and loved it. The great thing about it is, you get to see a lot of up-and-coming comedians who've likely never been to your local comedy club, but then you get to see some who have but who haven't yet achieved major notariety. One of the conestants on this season's show, Tig, is someone I got to see live at the Shreveport Funny Bone a year or two ago. She's pretty funny in a very dry, depressed sort of way.

One of her funnier pieces is when she says she visited her grandmother in Mississippi. While sitting out on the porch, her grandmother says to her, "It sure is hot out here... don't it!?" I nearly spit my drink all the way across the room when she said that. I guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious.

Anyway, yeah... weather... good stuff sometimes, bad stuff other times. This is my pitiful attempt at staying on-topic. I love snow, but we rarely ever see it in Shreveport. The main exception being the "snow bowl" I attended a few years ago. That was interesting!

[Mith242]

I'm going to try not to go too far off-topic here, but I figured I'd reply. I watched the first 2 seasons of that show and loved it. The great thing about it is, you get to see a lot of up-and-coming comedians who've likely never been to your local comedy club, but then you get to see some who have but who haven't yet achieved major notariety. One of the conestants on this season's show, Tig, is someone I got to see live at the Shreveport Funny Bone a year or two ago. She's pretty funny in a very dry, depressed sort of way.

One of her funnier pieces is when she says she visited her grandmother in Mississippi. While sitting out on the porch, her grandmother says to her, "It sure is hot out here... don't it!?" I nearly spit my drink all the way across the room when she said that. I guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious.

Anyway, yeah... weather... good stuff sometimes, bad stuff other times. This is my pitiful attempt at staying on-topic. I love snow, but we rarely ever see it in Shreveport. The main exception being the "snow bowl" I attended a few years ago. That was interesting!

Yeah it was interesting. The guy who was top that night I had seen before on Carlos Mencia's show. I'm not sure which show might have helped him get to the other. Last Comic Standing could have filmed that a while back ago for the whole season to play. Anyway sorry to get us off topic again.

[richyb83]

Yesterday NOLA recieved 2.28" of rain ! BR barely recieved a drop. That rough weather Brian was speaking of in SBC had dissolved into some sprikles by the time it made it down to BR.

Edited June 8, 2006 by richyb83

[NCB]

Yesterday NOLA recieved 2.28" of rain ! BR barely recieved a drop. That rough weather Brian was speaking of in SBC had dissolved into some sprikles by the time it made it down to BR.

Yea the New Orleans area got some decent rainfall from that storm yesterday. We got around an inch of rain here in Covington, and some parts of New Orleans, like you said, got nearly 2.3+ inches of rain.

Yeah it was interesting. The guy who was top that night I had seen before on Carlos Mencia's show.

I know I'm getting this thread even more off topic, but I have to say, I honestly can't stand that guy.

[Mith242]

I know I'm getting this thread even more off topic, but I have to say, I honestly can't stand that guy.

Really? I think he's hilarious. I hate to try to perpetuate stereotypes like he often does, but I still think he's funny.

[NCB]

Really? I think he's hilarious. I hate to try to perpetuate stereotypes like he often does, but I still think he's funny.

Believe me, I love comedy, and have more CD's and DVD's of comedy shows than you can imagine, but I can't stand Mencia. I thought Dave Chapelle, who Mencia replaced on Comedy Central with the same type of stereotype based comedy, was hilarious, but Mencia, not so much. I admit some of his stuff is pretty funny, but making fun of mentally retarded kids just seems very wrong to me. I had a hard time watching him after I saw his show that aired directly after Katrina, but his "retarded jokes" just pushed me away to the point where I don't even bother with his show anymore.

[Mith242]

Believe me, I love comedy, and have more CD's and DVD's of comedy shows than you can imagine, but I can't stand Mencia. I thought Dave Chapelle, who Mencia replaced on Comedy Central with the same type of stereotype based comedy, was hilarious, but Mencia, not so much. I admit some of his stuff is pretty funny, but making fun of mentally retarded kids just seems very wrong to me. I had a hard time watching him after I saw his show that aired directly after Katrina, but his "retarded jokes" just pushed me away to the point where I don't even bother with his show anymore.

Oh I certainly admit he isn't for everyone and I don't agree with some of his views. I think he's tried adjusting his 'retarded' jokes. He even had the guy I saw on Last Comic Standing on the show to show he wasn't trying to pick on 'handicapped' people. I can't think of the guys name, seemed like it was Josh something, but he has cerebral palsy. But anyway, not trying to defend him. He's certainly edgy and not going to be liked by a lot of people.

[NCB]

He's certainly edgy and not going to be liked by a lot of people.

It seems like quite a few well known comedians don't like him either. He's been sued and accused numerous times of stealing other comedians' material. And many have criticized his jokes and his style of comedy.

Anyway, would you guys like to start talking about comedy and comedians in the Lagniappe thread? I think we could get a pretty interesting discussion out of that.

[Mith242]

It seems like quite a few well known comedians don't like him either. He's been sued and accused numerous times of stealing other comedians' material. And many have criticized his jokes and his style of comedy.

Anyway, would you guys like to start talking about comedy and comedians in the Lagniappe thread? I think we could get a pretty interesting discussion out of that.

Could be good, since I've gotten this topic derailed with another subject.