Frigid weather continues for Southwest Louisiana this week as an encroaching blast of bitterly cold air moves into the region.

The National Weather Service Lake Charles office said the rain is over — for now — but the region will continue to deal with very cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills, particularly at night and in the early morning hours, over the next few days.

A cold advisory is in effect through 10 a.m. Thursday morning and an additional advisory is expected to be issued for Thursday night into Friday morning.

Temperatures as low as 21 degrees with wind chill readings of 10-18 degrees have been forecast.

Precautions should be made to to prevent frostbite and hypothermia, NWS advised. Warning signs include confusion, shivering, difficulty speaking and sleepiness. Pets will also need to be brought inside or have a warm shelter.

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury is partnering with Water’s Edge Gathering Church in Lake Charles and the Sulphur Christian Community Coalition to open warming centers. The Salvation Army will also provide housing for around 20 men at its 3020 Legion St. location.

Parish officials are advising residents to wrap their pipes securely and, if needed, allow a small drip of water to prevent freezing. A continuous flow of water is unnecessary. When temperatures rise above freezing, residents should turn faucets off to help maintain system pressure.

Those with irrigation systems are also advised to close their backflow preventers and drain the pipes to prevent damage.

The Lake Charles Police Department is encouraging residents to exercise extreme caution when traveling the roadways as some overpasses and bridges may freeze overnight. Should rainy weather happen, ice forming on roadways and local bridges could occur.

The city of Lake Charles Public Works Streets Division crews are making preparations to close the overpasses at Shattuck Street and Enterprise Boulevard should conditions become unsafe for travel. Should these overpass closures become necessary, emergency services will not be affected.

The Lake Charles Fire Department is also advising residents to take precautions if using portable space heaters. Be sure there are no blankets, bedding or other flammable materials within a three-foot radius of the heater. Space heaters should also be kept away from children and pets. These units should have an automatic shut-off and should always be plugged directly into the outlet. Heaters should not be left unattended when on.