A strong cold front is expected to move across the region late this afternoon and evening, bringing with it a risk of severe storms along with “strong and gusty” north winds.

“This cold front will clash with a warm, moist, and unstable air mass,” said Joe Rua, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Lake Charles office. “The result will be the formation of showers and thunderstorms.”

The timing of these severe storms is forecast to be after 3 p.m. and ending by 3 a.m. Sunday morning.

“Damaging wind gusts and large hail, along with frequent cloud to ground lightning will be the main concerns,” Rua said.

Strong north winds behind the front will produce frequent gusts around 40 knots with building seas up to 12 feet for the outer waters. A Gale Watch has already been issued for Southwest Louisiana coastal waters.

The strong offshore winds are expected to push water out of coastal lakes and bays and away from the coast producing low-water conditions during the low tide cycle Sunday morning.