Trees Down On Louisiana Avenue After Sunday Storms Hit Lafayette Hard

(KMDL-FM) South Louisiana was rocked by strong thunderstorms late Sunday afternoon. Some of the storms knocked out power in communities such as Youngsville, and the city of Lafayette reported more than a few instances of trees and limbs down.

Why Did The Water Pressure Drop in Youngsville, Louisiana?

At one point during the height of the storm, Youngsville Mayor Ken Ritter addressed a situation in that city's water department.

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There was a concern that the power outage had affected the water plant. That resulted in low pressure. As of last evening, some residents were still reporting an issue with pressure, but Mayor Ritter assured those affected that "Crews were actively working to restore normal operations".

Following that update, shortly after power had been restored, Mayor Ritter took to social media to explain why the backup systems at the water plant did not function as expected and what steps crews are taking to ensure the quality of services for residents of Youngsville.

Elsewhere around South Louisiana, there were reports of trees and limbs down. KATC Television reported via their viewers that limbs were down on Louisiana Avenue, and in one instance it looked as if a tree had been blown over by strong wind gusts.

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As of this report, shortly after 3 am, most of those who lost power as a result of the storm have had their services restored. PowerOutages.com showed that 3,605 Entergy customers were still without power, as were 176 CLECO customers, 10 Slemco Customers, and 10 members of the Beauregard Electric Co-op were shown to have no service.

Several Hundred Still Without Power in Louisiana This Morning

A fallen tree blocks a paved path in a forest.

The bulk of the affected customers were located in East Baton Rouge Parish, with 1,953 customers without power as of 3 am. In Iberia Parish, 684 customers were still without power; 144 residents in Lafayette Parish were without power. From what we understand, crews are in the field restoring service as we speak.

What Are the Chances of More Strong Storms Across Louisiana Today?

There is a threat that more strong storms could develop across South Louisiana again this afternoon. As of now, the greatest threat appears to be between the hours of 1 pm and 5 pm. The Official National Weather Service Forecast has the rain probability at 70% for the Lafayette area today.

Rain chances will taper off when the sun goes down this evening; then there will be another threat of rain and storms across the region again on Tuesday. The Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a marginal risk of severe storms for northern Louisiana today and tomorrow.

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That area of concern is generally north of Alexandria, but as we saw with Sunday's storms, many of these "pop-up" thunderstorms can bring heavy downpours and gusty winds. The National Weather Service Forecast calls for a 70% chance of more showers and storms on Tuesday.

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As we move into later in the week, we can expect more of a typical summertime forecast with a smaller threat of afternoon showers and storms persisting through the remainder of the work week.  You know, now that the 4th of July has come and gone, maybe you could use some of this "inside time" to do some shopping. Here's what's on sale.