For the first time this cool season, Baton Rouge Metro Airport reached the freezing mark. That ties for the fifth latest freeze on record since 1930. With that now in the rearview mirror, temperatures will gradually climb in the coming days. The warm pattern, which includes a chance of showers, arrives just in time for Christmas.

Today & Tonight: The streak of sunny weather will continue on Sunday along with a slight east breeze at around 5 mph. The wind direction is notable, as it will no longer be coming in from the north. With colder air no longer pouring into the region from that direction, temperatures will begin to climb. Whereas temperatures started off at freezing around daybreak, they will boost into the lower-60s by afternoon. That is right around normal by late December standards. Clear skies hold on for Sunday night. While still chilly, it will not be quite as cold. Look for a wake-up temperature in the upper-30s on Monday morning.

Up Next: Southeast winds will take over on Monday, allowing highs to climb even higher. Highs will top out in the upper-60s on Monday, but return to the 70s on Christmas Eve as a warm front slides through the area. Santa might have to dodge a few incoming showers late on the night of Christmas Eve. These showers, and perhaps a few rumbles of thunder, could persist into the Christmas Day. A washout is not expected at this time, but it's not a bad idea to prepare for the occasional shower. And frankly, there's still a fair amount of disagreement in the data as to how the Christmas forecast pans out. Those finer details will be revealed in the coming days, so stay tuned to the latest forecast information. While rain chances decline the day after Christmas, that's not the end of the warm and unsettled pattern. A few more round(s) of rain could arrive by the week's end.

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-- Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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