Below-freezing temperatures are expected to move into the area Friday and persist throughout the weekend. Despite the freezing temperatures, winter precipitation is not anticipated in the region, Donald Jones, National Weather Service Lake Charles meteorologist, said.

Light precipitation with a chance of freezing is expected over the Gulf of Mexico Thursday night but temperatures will climb well above freezing on Friday. “Any winter weather that does fall is going to melt off by Friday morning,” Jones said.

The precipitation is expected to move along the I-10 corridor with the greatest probabilities of impacts forecasted in Jeff Davis Parish, Cameron Parish and further east. Probabilities of freezing rain for those areas are only at 20 percent, Jones said.

“The vast majority of moisture will remain off the coastline.”

As a precaution, schools in Jeff Davis and Cameron parishes will be closed on Friday. Additionally, the Louisiana Department of Transportation will be coating roads and bridges in an anti-icing solution as a precaution, Jones added.

Friday night is expected to be the coldest night but significant power outages or road hazards are not expected due to the lack of freezing precipitation. Low temperatures are expected to be in the 20s through Sunday with the wind chill making it feel as though temperatures are in the teens, Jones said.

As of Thursday evening, the greatest threat to the region will be extended freezing temperatures with Allen Parish seeing 14 hours of freezing Friday night, Beauregard 13 hours, Calcasieu 11 hours, Cameron 2 hours and Jeff Davis 13 hours.
“The entire region is going to be below freezing long enough that pipes will burst if threatened. You have to either wrap pipes or run dripping water through those pipes depending on where your pipes are located and how well they’re insulated.”