A cold front is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms to the area as early as Wednesday — but the bulk of activity is expected to hit Thursday afternoon.

National Weather Service Lake Charles said their confidence is increasing that a few storms could become strong to severe, mainly Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening as a squall line crosses the area. The primary threats are expected to be damaging straight-line winds and isolated tornadoes.

Some storms could produce heavy rainfall that could result in localized flooding, the agency said.

While there could be some showers or isolated storms developing as early as Wednesday, Lake Charles has the greatest chance of seeing rainfall at about 6 a.m. Thursday through about 3 a.m. Friday.

Temperatures are expected to climb to the mid-to-high 70s Wednesday and Thursday afternoon before dropping back to the low-60s ahead of the weekend. Evening temperatures could be as low as 41 degree Friday and Saturday.