Winter Blast Coming Back to Shreveport This Weekend

Shreveport is about to get a mid-January reminder that winter still knows our address. After record warmth earlier this week, a rainmaker moves in, and colder air follows close behind, according to Weather Channel meteorologist Richard Lewelling.

Rain Returns to Shreveport-Bossier, But Drought Relief Stays Limited

Lewelling told KEEL News on Thursday that rain chances ramp up late today, with the steadiest, heaviest rain expected Friday. The early call is around an inch of rain for Shreveport through Saturday morning, which would be welcome considering how dry it has been since December 1.

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Still, he cautions it will not be enough to erase drought conditions or end concerns like burn bans. His bottom line: this helps, but it does not fix the bigger moisture deficit.

Record Heat Was Not Just a Close Call

This week’s warmth was not subtle. Lewelling noted Shreveport “shattered” the Tuesday record, hitting 83 degrees and beating the previous record of 80 set in 1956. Wednesday’s record (79 from 1965) held, but Shreveport got close, reaching the mid 70s.

Lewelling added that the city has already logged two 80-degree days this year, and described the season so far as one of the warmest and driest winters on record locally.

Colder Weekend Ahead for North Louisiana, But Not a Deep Freeze

Once the rain exits, Lewelling expects more seasonal January air to settle in. Think highs in the 50s and 60s, lows in the 30s, and a return to dry weather with no meaningful rain showing up in the Shreveport forecast out to about January 17. Cold, yes. Brutal, no.

Looking Past MLK Day and Toward Mardi Gras in the Arklatex

Lewelling discussed signals that precipitation could trend above normal later in the month, after MLK Day and into the January 20 to 30 window. Some longer-range model chatter has hinted at a major ice storm somewhere across the South, but he emphasized it is too early to treat that as a real forecast.

As for Mardi Gras parade weekends in early to mid-February, he says it is still too far out for confident specifics, though early indications lean drier.