Rain is forecast to hit El Dorado this evening, followed by freezing temperatures at the start of next week.
Gary Chatelain, a meteorologist at the Shreveport National Weather Service office, said Friday that showers and thunderstorms are expected to begin tonight and continue into Sunday morning.
“There’s going to be some thunderstorms, and then turning very cold on Sunday behind the rain,” Chatelain said. “Most of the rain will be Saturday night (and into) early Sunday, and then it’ll clear out Sunday afternoon.”
Following the rain, temperatures will drop to their lowest point yet this season, Chatelain said. El Dorado residents can expect to wake up to temperatures in the low to mid-30’s that will drop to the 20’s on Tuesday. Chatelain suggested that residents go ahead and prepare for the freezing temperatures ahead of Tuesday.
“Protect your pipes, plants, that sort of thing. Do that this weekend; it’s only going to be colder Monday, and then much colder Tuesday,” he said. “Wrap your pipes. … It will definitely kill vegetation.”
Chatelain said it has been an especially dry November, with only .96 inches of rain recorded so far this month. Typically, he said, it rains four or more inches in south Arkansas in November.
The low temperatures are also unusual for this time of year, Chatelain said. The cold front headed to El Dorado is coming from Canada at a fast pace, he said, which is why temperatures will drop so low so quickly.
“Late fall should be right around low 60’s. We’re going to be 15 degrees below that average. That’s just a sign of how cold the air is and how fast it got here,” he said.
However, the incoming weather, aside from the cold temperatures for which local residents should prepare, won’t present too many hazards, he said.
“There’s no hazardous weather to worry about,” Chatelain said. “The worst would be a thunderstorm, which of course could be hazardous, but not widespread.”