After a moderately dry and warm fall season, crawfish are starting to emerge from their burrows and land in boiling pots across Acadiana.

Todd Fontenot, an LSU AgCenter crawfish extension agent based in Acadia Parish, said that he is "optimistic for the season" — although he resists delving into prediction, saying that the lifecycle of these crustaceans is extremely weather-dependent.

"We're expecting a normal season, barring any adverse weather conditions," he said. "Last year we were very fortunate. We had some severe cold, very short-lived, and a record-breaking snow, and fortunately we came out of all that really well. But those kinds of things can change your season, practically overnight."

Last January, historic blizzard conditions in Louisiana dropped up to 10 inches of snow in t

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