Cold weather will continue to affect the area in the near future, according to the National Weather Service. Light rain and light sleet are forecast for this afternoon and evening for the Interstate 10 corridor northward.

Despite the forecast, local residents will not have to worry about frozen precipitation because the ground will be warm enough to melt it, said Roger Erickson, weather service warning coordination meteorologist.

There are no foreseeable problems for roads and bridges in the area because temperatures will not fall to the freezing level until after midnight, when the precipitation has ended, he said.

The cold will continue into Wednesday morning with temperatures between 28 and 32 degrees in east Texas and central Louisiana and the low to mid-30s along the I-10 corridor.

Erickson said residents should be careful with how they heat their homes.

“Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths,” he said. “Keep anything that can burn or catch fire at least 3 feet from your heating equipment, such as a furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.”

Erickson said residents should refrain from using their ovens to heat their homes and that space heaters should be turned off once a room is empty or when the residents in the home go to bed.

Cold weather will continue to affect the area in the near future