The warmup has begun, and will only continue into Christmas Eve. Added warmth and improving moisture content will set the stage for showers to arrive on Christmas Day. Rain will become a consideration for outdoor plans on and after the holiday.

Tonight & Christmas Eve: After several frosty starts with lows in the 30s, the chill begins to depart on Monday night. Look for a morning low near 46° in Baton Rouge on Monday. Slightly warmer temperatures will be found near the coast, vice versa for northern locations. Skies will stay mainly clear, although a patch or two of fog is not out of the question. Fog does not look to be a widespread issue. The warming trend will continue on Christmas Eve as a warm front quickly slides through. This will allow highs to jump into the mid-70s. The day will feature mostly sunny skies. On the night of Christmas Eve, skies will be mostly clear for a good chunk of the night. Santa might be able to deliver presents with largely dry conditions. But clouds will increase eventually, likely closer to Christmas morning.

Christmas Day: Clouds will be on the increase on Christmas morning. A spotty shower or two cannot be ruled out either. Rain coverage will increase with time. Isolated to scattered showers, and a few rumbles of thunder, will be in the region anywhere from mid-morning through early evening. This is a notable shift in timing from previous forecasts as the most recent data delay the arrival time of the main "forcing" mechanism for these showers. A washout is still not the expectation, but be prepared for occasional showers. Fortunately, severe weather is not a major concern. Up to 0.5" of rain is possible with locally higher amounts on an isolated basis.

Up Next: Showers exit late on Christmas, leaving behind a drier Thursday with mention of only a few sprinkles. But this does not mark the end of the warm and unsettled pattern. A cold front appears to finally move through on Sunday, but even that won't produce a major temperature drop.

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-- Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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