Winter Storm Potential: A large winter storm will track across the Southern United States into the weekend, producing large swaths of snow, ice, and rain. The Baton Rouge Metro Area will find itself very close to the southern extent of ice and, therefore, possible impacts.

Rain and even a few thunderstorms will overspread Louisiana and Mississippi through the daytime hours on Saturday. While some dry time is possible early, it will become increasingly scarce through the afternoon and evening. Temperatures are expected to remain above freezing on Saturday, and so there will not be any problems due to ice, locally. 

Use the slider to advance through the next 24 hours of Futurecast

Off-and-on showers will continue Saturday night into Sunday. Meanwhile, northwest winds will drive the freezing line closer to the Capital Area. If the temperature drops below 32°, plain rain would transition to freezing rain. That could happen as early as Sunday morning. The greatest risk of the freezing line arriving while rain is still falling will be along and north of a line from New Roads to McComb. By the I-10/12 corridor, the risk is lower, and the risk trends toward zero further to the south and east. While minor ice accumulation would only be a travel issue, any amounts greater than a tenth of an inch could stress trees and powerlines. Again, concern for this is greatest north and west of Baton Rouge. Precipitation is expected to end Sunday afternoon. However, even if rain wraps up before temperatures inevitably drop below freezing at night, any wet surfaces could turn icy — especially bridges and overpasses. Fortunately, elevated wind speeds on Sunday evening may help to mitigate this issue.

A minor change from just 32° to 33° makes a major difference in impacts for an event like this, so monitor Storm Station forecasts as new information comes in each day. Be prepared to change or cancel travel plans this weekend.

Up Next: Precipitation will clear out by Sunday evening, but the cold will tighten its grip. North winds of 10-20 mph will send wind chills, or feels-like temperatures, plummeting into the single digits and teens by Monday morning. While some sun will come out for the afternoon, most locations will stay in the 30s through the day. By Tuesday morning, air temperatures will fall back into the upper teens, but fortunately, wind will not create a much lower feels-like temperature. With another afternoon of sun, thermometers will break into the 40s. Temperatures will remain chilly through midweek, though the heart of the cold will be on its way out by then.

Get the latest 7-day forecast and real-time weather updates HERE.

Watch live news HERE.

The Storm Station is here for you, on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and X for even more weather updates while you are on the go.