Weather Forecast: Several days of rain ahead in Louisiana | weather

Rain is on its way to Louisiana, and there’s at least a chance it will be enough to help extinguish wildfires burning across the state and ease drought conditions.

Models are increasingly showing the potential for really heavy rain — more than 2 inches — somewhere along the Gulf Coast early next week, local forecasters said Thursday morning. Heavy rain could stop over New Orleans under the right conditions.

Light rain is expected to begin in south Louisiana Thursday night, according to WWL-TV meteorologist Payton Malone.

“This is great news,” Malone said in his forecast Thursday morning. “This is just the beginning of what some rain will be in the forecast for next week, almost every day features at least a few showers.”

Here’s the weather forecast for your area.

New Orleans

Light rain is likely to hit the New Orleans metro area after 11 p.m. Thursday, with less than 10 inches falling, according to the National Weather Service in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

More light rain is expected throughout the weekend, and forecasters are predicting some rain each day through Wednesday.

A weak cold front heading our way should keep temperatures low this weekend as well, with highs dropping into the low 70s and high 60s through early next week after rising to around 77 degrees on Friday.

Overnight lows are expected to hover around the low 60s Friday into Tuesday.

Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge should start to see some light rain after 9pm on Thursday, and rain will likely fall through the weekend, with a 70% chance of rain each day through Saturday night.

Rain is likely Sunday and early next week as well, according to the National Meteorological Directorate.

Temperatures are expected to cool somewhat over the weekend and early next week, with daytime temperatures expected to reach the low 70s or upper 60s Saturday through Wednesday. Overnight lows should drop into the 60s to mid-50s.

Lafayette

Light rain is expected in Lafayette after midnight and should continue through the weekend and early next week, according to the National Weather Service, with an 80% chance of rain on Saturday.

A cold front should keep temperatures low this weekend, with highs hovering in the high 70s and low 60s through early next week and overnight lows falling into the mid-high 50s each night.

Shreveport

The Shreveport area is expected to receive between a quarter and a half inch of rain Thursday and Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with light rain continuing through the weekend and early next week.

It will be a cool weekend in the area, with highs expected to reach the 50s through Saturday. The weather should be warmer starting Sunday, with highs expected to reach the mid 60s through Wednesday.

Nighttime low temperatures are expected to hover around 50 degrees from Friday to Tuesday.