Slow moving Low, tricky forecast, ‘lotta rain

Whether your favorite Gulf Coast meteorologist works for the National Weather Service of on television – either way, they aren’t sleeping well lately.

The latest area of low pressure off the Gulf has been spinning around for a few days now and doesn’t show any signs of decisiveness.

In other words, it is going what we all do: Linger at the beach.

The problem is, this makes for a very – VERY! – difficult forecast. Due to the meandering nature of the low, rainfall totals across parts of the Florida panhandle, Alabama coast, Mississippi coast, and Louisiana have fluctuated a bit during the past 48 hours. And, sadly, that will continue for the next 48 hours, too.

Here is a look at three different graphics, issued at roughly the same time, on the same day from the three National Weather Service offices that cover the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida coasts. As well as some of the inland areas:

The rain totals are a bit different on each graphic, but the general trend is the same: IT’S GON RAIN! How long? How much? And when it will end?

That – much like the rain – is still up in the air. Details to come.



Author of the article:


Nick Lilja

Nick is former television meteorologist with stints in Amarillo and Hattiesburg. During his time in Hattiesburg, he was also an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is a graduate of both Oregon State and Syracuse University that now calls Houston home. Now that he is retired from TV, he maintains this blog in his spare time.