Heavy Rainfall and Severe Weather Briefing - March 23, 2021

Click HERE to view an update concerning the heavy rain and severe thunderstorm threat today through Thursday.

Changes Since the Previous Update / Important Notes:

• The threat of severe weather has increased on Thursday to Slight to Enhanced Risk.

Overview: WHAT: MARGINAL to SLIGHT RISK of Heavy Rain

MARGINAL to ENHANCED RISK of Severe Thunderstorms WHEN: The heavy rain threat will be highest from this afternoon through Thursday afternoon.

The first severe thunderstorm threat will be from midday today through Tuesday evening.

The second severe thunderstorm threat will be from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday evening. WHERE: The risk of heavy rainfall that could produce flooding issues and severe thunderstorms will exist across all of southern MS and southeast LA. CONFIDENCE: We are confident that there will be thunderstorms across the area and that a few will produce heavy rainfall and severe weather impacts.

• Rainfall of 4 to 8 inches is currently forecast. Locally higher amounts will be possible.

• Expect ponding of water in low lying areas and some potential for localized flash flooding.

• As water drains into area rivers, minor to moderate flooding could develop.

• Damaging winds in excess of 60 mph, hail, and a few tornadoes will be possible with any severe storms.

The attached briefing highlights the threats associated with this system.

Additional Information and Resources:

NWS New Orleans Website: www.weather.gov/neworleans

NWS New Orleans DSS Website: https://www.weather.gov/lix/embrief

River Gauges and Forecasts: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lix

NWS New Orleans Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWSNewOrleans

NWS New Orleans Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSNewOrleans

Online Weather Reporting: https://www.weather.gov/lix/submit_storm_report

Next Update and Contact Information:

The next update will be sent this afternoon. If you have any questions in the interim or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We can be reached by phone at 504-522-7330 or 985-649-0429. Use extension 4 to speak with a forecaster. Alternatively, you can reach us by email by replying to this message or sending an email to sr-lix.forecasters@noaa.gov. Both methods will be delivered to the forecasters on shift at the office. Regards,

Brigette Lim

Meteorologist

NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge