UPDATED 3:57 PM
Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency in response to record low temperatures. Icy conditions have left a frozen mess in New Orleans. The city is basically shutdown. A hard freeze warning is in effect from 5 p.m. Wednesday through 11 a.m. Thursday.
Temperatures are predicted to plunge again into the teens and low 20s overnight and into Thursday morning, prompting schools to stay closed Thursday.
Thursday school closures:
Jefferson Parish Public Schools
Lafourche Parish School District
All public schools in Orleans Parish
Plaquemines Parish Schools
St. Bernard Parish Schools
St. Charles Parish schools
St. James Parish Public Schools
St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools
St. Tammany Parish Public Schools
Catholic Schools in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany Parishes.
The University of New Orleans
Northshore Technical Community College
Schools, universities, New Orleans City hall and civil courts are closed, and flights are grounded at the New Orleans International Airport. Buses are running on a limited schedule. Frozen tree branches falling on power lines have cut service in some areas. Interstate 10 linking the Metro area to Baton Rouge is closed. Broken water lines have created ice sheets in some intersections. A light snow coats the city and covered windshields in ice.
Temperatures hit 21 degrees at the New Orleans airport Wednesday night, breaking the record of 23 degrees set in 1977. Temperatures inside homes have plunged to 50 degrees, punishing heat systems that can’t keep up.
The National Weather Service recommends spending as little time outdoors as possible, running faucets at a trickle to prevent pipes from freezing and covering outdoor plants.