Severe weather awaits Southwest Louisiana Sunday afternoon as an expected cold front brings with it scattered thunderstorms to the region.

National Weather Service Lake Charles Meteorologist Donald Jones said all forms of severe weather — damaging straight-line winds, tornadoes and large hail — will be possible.

Showers and storms are expected to develop late Sunday morning ahead of the frontal system with a squall line developing along the leading edge of the region’s boundary.

The time frame for this weather event is about 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Jones said as the squall line approaches the area, damaging winds of 60 mph or greater will start to form. He said within the squall line is where quick, spin-up tornadoes can form.

“Large hail is not a significant threat, but the damaging winds and tornadoes are the major overall risks with this system,” he said.

Heavy rain will be possible, especially within the squall line, resulting in a potential for flooding of urban and poor drainage areas. Rainfall totals are expected to be in the
0.5 to 1 inch range.

“This is mainly going to be a short, street flooding situation,” Jones said.

In the wake of the front, a very cold air mass will settle across the region through all of next week resulting in many hours of below-freezing temperatures especially across central Louisiana an interior Southeast Texas.

“It’s going to get cold around here for quite a while,” Jones said. “And it’s going to be immediate.”

He said to remember the four Ps when it comes to cold snaps — people, pets, plants and pipes.

“We’re looking at four nights of hard freezing temperatures through next week,” he said.