A blast of frigid Arctic air will blow in on Thursday, dropping temperatures very quickly followed by approximately 4o hours below freezing. The National Weather Service in Lake Charles says that we'll reach the low 60's by mid-day Thursday, and then the wind will shift around to the northwest and the temperature will begin dropping through the afternoon and the night. Meanwhile, forecasters say we could have wind gusts up to 30 miles-per-hour from Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon. The temperature is expected to dip below freezing at about 8:00 Thursday night and will not climb above freezing until about noon on Saturday. Local residents are reminded to remember the "Four P's", which are people, pets, pipes, and plants:
People - Make sure that elderly family members or friends have safe, adequate heating in their
home
Pets - Bring pets indoors during weather extremes (cold or heat)
Pipes - Make sure outdoor pipes are either wrapped for insulation, or leave faucets dripping
Plants - Bring in outdoor plants to protect them from sub-freezing temperatures
Here is your weather forecast through the Christmas weekend from the National Weather Service in Lake Charles:
Thursday - Partly sunny, with a high near 61. South wind 5 to io mph becoming northwest io to 15 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
Thursday Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 11. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.
Friday - Sunny, with a high near 29. Northwest wind io to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday Night - Partly cloudy, with a low around 17. North wind around io mph.
Christmas Eve Day - Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. North wind around io mph.
Christmas Eve Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 21. North wind around 5 mph.
Christmas Day - Sunny, with a high near 44.
Christmas Night - Mostly clear, with a low around 26.