Scattered showers will pass over the area between noon and midnight
On Thanksgiving Day, a cold front sweeps through Louisiana from northwest to southeast, carrying with it the quiet inevitability of seasonal change — scattered showers, cooling air, and the gentle reminder that even holidays must yield to the rhythms of weather. No danger arrives with this system, only transition: a brief drizzle, a sharp drop in temperature, and the slow clearing that follows every passing front. By early next week, high pressure will restore calm, leaving the region in a cooler, drier stillness that feels, in its own way, like a natural exhale.
- A cold front pushes into Louisiana on Thanksgiving afternoon, threatening to interrupt outdoor cooking and holiday gatherings with scattered showers from noon through midnight.
- Temperatures plunge into the upper 30s by Friday evening — a jarring shift from the low-70s warmth of Thanksgiving midday.
- A second, weaker disturbance looms over the weekend, raising real questions about whether LSU football fans will face rain before the final whistle Saturday.
- Forecasters are watching the timing carefully — an early-arriving disturbance could shave degrees off Saturday's high and push showers into the game window.
- Relief is on the way: high pressure is expected to settle over the Southeast early next week, locking in dry, cool conditions and closing out the unsettled stretch.
A cold front is moving into Louisiana from the northwest on Thanksgiving Day, and those planning outdoor cooking would do well to get an early start. Overnight into Wednesday, mild southeast winds will hold temperatures in the mid-50s as clouds begin to build — but once Thursday arrives, the front will push through the state, thickening skies and lifting highs into the low 70s by midday. Scattered showers will follow between noon and midnight: nothing severe, nothing heavy, just the steady drizzle that tends to accompany a passing front.
By Friday morning, the system will have cleared through, and the air will feel noticeably different. Skies will brighten from northwest to southeast, but highs will struggle to reach 60 degrees, and temperatures will fall into the upper 30s by evening — a sharp contrast to the mild day before. For shoppers and Bayou Classic attendees, it will be a crisp, mostly sunny afternoon.
Saturday introduces more uncertainty. A weaker disturbance is expected to drift across the region late in the day and into Sunday, and its timing could matter for LSU fans: if it arrives quickly enough, light showers may move in before the game ends, lingering into Sunday morning. The disturbance carries no frontal passage, so its main effect will be clouds and the possibility of light rain.
Once it clears, high pressure takes over. Early next week looks dry and cooler than average — the settled, quiet pattern that typically follows a cold front's passage. In the tropics, there is nothing to watch; no development is expected across the Gulf, Caribbean, or Atlantic in the days ahead.
If you're planning to deep-fry a turkey for Thanksgiving, get it done early. A cold front is moving in from the northwest on Thursday, and it's bringing rain with it.
Overnight into Wednesday, conditions will stay mild. Southeast winds will keep temperatures hovering in the mid-50s as clouds begin to gather. But once Thanksgiving arrives, the front will push through Louisiana from northwest to southeast, and the weather will shift noticeably. Highs will climb into the low 70s around midday as the sky thickens with cloud cover. Between noon and midnight on Thursday, scattered showers will move across the region—nothing severe, nothing that will dump heavy rain, just the kind of steady drizzle that comes with a passing cold front. By Friday morning, the front will have cleared through, and temperatures will begin their descent.
Friday shapes up as a much cooler day. Skies will clear from northwest to southeast as the system moves away, but highs will struggle to reach 60 degrees. That evening, temperatures will dip into the upper 30s—a sharp drop from the mild Thanksgiving day. For those heading to the Bayou Classic or out for holiday shopping, it will be a crisp afternoon under mostly sunny skies.
Saturday's forecast is more complicated. A weak disturbance is expected to move across the region late in the day and into Sunday, and its timing matters. If clouds move in early, Saturday's high could end up a few degrees cooler than currently expected, possibly keeping temperatures in the upper 50s. The bigger question for LSU football fans: if that disturbance arrives quickly enough, a few showers could move in before the game ends. Those showers would then linger into Sunday morning.
Once that disturbance clears out, high pressure will settle over the Southeast, and the pattern will dry out. Early next week looks dry and cooler than average—the kind of weather that typically follows a cold front passage. In the tropics, there's nothing to watch. No development is expected over the next five days across the Gulf, Caribbean, or Atlantic.
The mechanics behind all this are straightforward: a weak upper-level trough of low pressure is racing across the middle of the country with a cold front attached to it. That system will reach Louisiana on Thanksgiving, bring its showers, and move through by Friday morning. The second disturbance—the one that could affect Saturday and Sunday—is weaker and won't have a frontal passage, so it will mainly just cloud things up and possibly squeeze out some light rain. After that, the upper-level pattern shifts, the high pressure takes over, and the region settles into a cooler, drier stretch.
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
So if I'm frying a turkey Thursday, I really do need to get it done before noon?
You want to be finished well before the showers arrive. They'll start rolling in around midday and stick around through the evening. It's not a downpour, but it's enough to make outdoor cooking miserable.
What makes Saturday so tricky?
Two things. First, clouds might thicken up earlier in the day, which would actually cool things down a bit. Second, there's a weak disturbance that could bring showers, and nobody's quite sure when it'll arrive. If it comes early, you get rain all afternoon. If it's late, you might catch it during the LSU game.
Is there any chance this turns into something severe?
No. The cold front is weak, and the rainfall will be light. This is just a normal late-November weather system moving through. No severe weather threat at all.
When does it actually feel cold?
Friday morning is when you'll really notice the drop. Temperatures will tumble overnight Thursday into Friday, and then Friday afternoon highs will barely touch 60. Saturday morning will be even colder—upper 30s.
And then what? Does it stay cold?
Through the weekend, yes. But once that second disturbance moves out early next week, high pressure moves in and locks things down. Dry and cool, but not extreme. Just a typical post-front pattern.