WEATHER UPDATE: Schools closed tomorrow
Published 2:38 pm Tuesday, January 16, 2024
A hard freeze warning and wind chill advisory will be in place Wednesday morning — which will likely to be the coldest morning so far this winter in Southwest Louisiana.
National Weather Service Lake Charles Storm Warning Coordinator Doug Cramer said temperatures will be dropping into the teens for most locations.
“All locations will experience 14-20 hours of sub-freezing temperatures into Wednesday morning,” he said.
All Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Jeff Davis and Vernon parish public schools will remain closed Wednesday due to the continued cold weather conditions, as will Bishop Noland Episcopal Day School. Campuses are expected to reopen on Thursday.
“Following our building assessments and monitoring of the most recent weather forecast, we are making the decision to close all Calcasieu Parish School Board schools and facilities on Wednesday,” said CPSB spokesperson Holly Holland. “Some of our campuses are continuing to deal with power outages and we are also encountering heating issues across the district, several of which are due to ongoing construction.
“In addition, with over half of our students riding our school buses or walking to school (Wednesday’s) expected windshield temperatures at the time of pickup are again a significant concern,” Holland said. “We feel this decision is in the best interest of safety for all students, faculty and staff.”
The Diocese of Lake Charles schools will also be closed Wednesday.
All Calcasieu Parish Police Jury offices and services will be open and operate on their normal schedules Wednesday.
A community wide boil advisory has been issued for all customers served by Beauregard Parish Waterworks District No. 6 (Junction Community). The advisory is due to a water outage caused by the severe cold and will be in effect until rescinded by the state Department of Health.
The Jeff Davis Council on Aging will remain closed Wednesday.
Two shelters are open at 2760 Power Centre Parkway in Lake Charles and at the Sulphur Community Center at 501 E. Burton in Sulphur to provide shelter for people experiencing homelessness during the weather event. The Lake Charles location will be open 24 hours daily until 8 a.m. Thursday. Three hot meals will be served daily, and shower and laundry facilities will be available.
The Sulphur facility is available for overnight use. It will close daily at 7 a.m. and open evenings at 6 p.m. through the end of the weather event. An evening meal and breakfast will be served. The Community Center will be open for their regular hours from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. but no beds will be available then. Lunch will be served.
Kramer said freezing temperatures are forecast to return Friday night into Saturday morning, setting up a warm and stormy pattern for next week. Temperatures could dip below freezing from midnight to 6 a.m. Saturday. No precipitation is in the forecast Friday night or Saturday morning.