Mild weather keeps things growing for Christmas

More unseasonably warm weather is in the forecast for the next few days, continuing a pattern of mild temperatures in south Louisiana, which is causing vegetation to start growing early along with wildlife, such as crawfish.
National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Erickson said this week will be “very warm” followed by a cold front Sunday night or Monday morning that should bring more seasonable temperatures next week.
Temperatures reached 70 degrees both Sunday and Monday at Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport near Patterson, according to the National Weather Service’s website.
The weather will only get warmer during the next few days. The high temperature was projected to reach 74 degrees today followed by 78 degrees Wednesday and 80 degrees Christmas Eve. Christmas Day’s forecast shows a 79-degree high.
Tonight’s low will be 65 degrees with lows of 69, 70 and 69 the next three days, according to the forecast.
“We’re kind of in a warm pattern, so I don’t think this is the end of the warm stuff,” Erickson said. “We’ll have some more of it probably over the next few weeks.”
During January, the weather may transition to a cooler pattern, Erickson said. Usually, during El Niño years, the region experiences cooler temperatures. However, other “climate variables” also affect the weather, he said.
Two of those factors are Arctic oscillation and north Atlantic oscillation, he said.
“Both of those (factors) are actually above normal right now so those aren’t forecast to trend back to the cooler phase until sometime in January,” Erickson said.
Erickson expects the area to see rainy weather the rest of the week and probably into next week as well, he said.
“Typically, when we’re in this El Niño pattern, we just get, kind of every few days, some showers and thunderstorms through the area,” Erickson said.
There’s a 70 percent chance of rain tonight, a 60 percent chance Wednesday, 50 percent chance Christmas Eve and 40 percent chance Christmas Day, the forecast says.
Marvin Taylor, owner of Marvin’s Gardens in Patterson, said the warmer weather “keeps things growing,” which isn’t ideal this time of year.
If the area gets any freezes, plants “wouldn’t be hardened off” in preparation to survive the winter, Taylor said.
Taylor suggests people cover their plants if the area does have any freezes, he said. Also, gardeners shouldn’t fertilize their plants right now so as not to encourage growth, Taylor said.
South Louisiana will probably get some freezes next year, but those freezes shouldn’t affect plant growth in a major way, Erickson said.
In the short term, the warmer temperatures may actually help the crawfish harvest, Erickson said.
Crawfisherman Sidney “Peanut” Michel of Morgan City said the warm weather will definitely help crawfish growth.
“They’ll grow a little bit faster. They’ll probably bite a little sooner,” Michel said.
Mild temperatures especially help crawfish pond production in addition to production in the Atchafalaya Basin, he said. High water levels in the Basin are also aiding in crawfish growth, though the high water is preventing people from being able to harvest any crawfish yet, Michel said.
“As far as crawfish goes, everything’s on the right track,” Michel said. “You got early water. You got warm weather. It’s a plus all the way around.”