Winter Storm Update – Louisiana Road Closures, Power Outages

(KMDL-FM) The last time a lot of us went into work, the afternoon high temperature was in the lower to mid-70s. Today, if and when we head into the office, the forecast high temperature is supposed to be in the mid-30s. I wonder what a 40-degree temperature swing over just a day or so will do to Louisiana's current flu situation?

READ MORE: Key Symptom Revealed in Louisiana's Major Flu Outbreak

Regardless of whether you're feeling well or not so well, today is a good day to stay home across most of Louisiana. The southern third of the state did escape most of Old Man Winter's wrath over the weekend, but that leaves two-thirds of the state dealing with frozen roads and frosty homes and businesses because there is no power.

Kudos to the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Lake Charles; they were quite accurate in predicting what turned out to be a very challenging forecast, as far as ice, snow, and frozen precipitation was concerned. The NWS forecast kept most of the frozen precipitation north of US 190, and for the most part, that's where the worst of the weather occurred.

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What Are The Current Road Conditions Across Louisiana?

Naturally, in Louisiana, the biggest issues with cold weather are the roadways. Since there are about 13,000 bridges and overpasses in the state, there is a good chance you'll have to drive over one the next time you get in the car. And the bridges and overpasses would be your areas of concern, generally speaking, South of US 190.

READ MORE: Louisiana Parishes with the Most Unsafe Bridges

According to 511la.org, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development's road conditions website, things don't look too bad for the major roadways. According to that website, we don't run into our first "weather-related" closure until we get north of Alexandria. That closure is for the Boyce Bridge on LA 8 in Grant Parish.

Now that doesn't mean all the roads and bridges in South Louisiana are in perfect shape. Granted, a lot of the moisture that was on the pavement yesterday has evaporated due to radiational heating or because of that howling wind. There still could be slick spots, especially on the sides of the road where water might collect.

This will be especially true the further north and the further west you travel. Those parts of the state have been below freezing longer than the southern and southeastern portions of Louisiana.

Where Is The Power Out in Louisiana?

There are widespread power outages across northern Louisiana this morning. Shortly after midnight, a little over 122,000 customers in the state were without electricity. Ouachita Parish. The greater Monroe area, that's Ouachita Parish by the way, was reporting over 47,000 customers without power. DeSoto Parish had 9,813, and Sabine Parish had 7,204 without electricity.

If we break that down by Utility Systems, Entergy has just over 86,000 without power, SWEPCO has 27,109 without power, and Cleco was reporting that 5,728 of their customers had service interruptions. Each of those utilities has plans to get crews into the field as soon as safely possible to restore service.

When will the Temperature Rise Above Freezing in Louisiana?

An Extreme Cold Warning is in effect through midday Tuesday. This advisory does cover the entire state. If you're wondering "when will it get above freezing", here's what we can tell you courtesy of the National Weather Service.

Along the I-10 corridor that will be later today. The mercury should rise to close to freezing along the US 190 corridor later today, but certainly by Tuesday midday. In the Alexandria area, the same can be said. It looks as if Tuesday midday will be when the mercury rises above 32 degrees.

Along the I-20 corridor in North Louisiana, don't expect the thaw to begin until sometime after lunch on Tuesday. Today's high in Caddo and Bossier Parishes is forecast to be 30 degrees. The overnight low will drop to 9 degrees. Of course, the wind will make it feel much colder than that.

Is There Another Winter Storm On the Way for Louisiana This Weekend?

Last week, there were rumblings of another winter precipitation assault on the state for this weekend, but that does not appear to be in the cards. It will get colder, and we will have temperatures below freezing as far south as the coast, but we shouldn't have the wintry mix to complicate that situation.

Besides, there are Mardi Gras Parades we have to attend next weekend. Are you ready for Mardi Gras?