BATON ROUGE — A major winter storm expected to sweep across much of the central and eastern United States later this week could bring dangerous freezing rain to parts of Louisiana. The Baton Rouge area faces a risk of ice accumulation, though there remains significant uncertainty in the forecast.
According to forecasts from the National Weather Service and the Weather Prediction Center, the expansive storm system is expected to develop over the Southern Plains on Friday before shifting east through Sunday. While areas north of Louisiana are more likely to see heavy ice accumulation, south Louisiana sits near the southern edge of the freezing rain zone, where even small temperature changes could significantly impact conditions.
Baton Rouge: Elevated ice risk, not a gurantee
Current projections show Baton Rouge with roughly a 15% chance of receiving at least one-tenth of an inch of freezing rain. While it’s not a significant amount, it can still cause hazardous travel conditions, particularly on our many bridges, overpasses, and elevated roadways.
Forecasters say the highest risk zone locally extends across southwest Mississippi and into Louisiana parishes north of Interstates 10 and 12, including the Baton Rouge metro area. Confidence decreases sharply farther south…