Emergency Managers of Southeast Louisiana and Southern Mississippi

Here are the slides that were used during the 2pm webinar.

Changes from previous update:

• No significant changes

Overview:

WHAT: Accumulating ice (freezing rain) and sleet, and possibly some snow; followed by frigid cold

WHEN: Accumulating ice/sleet is most likely late Sunday night through Monday. Cold temperatures will persist through Tuesday night.

WHERE: Accumulating ice is most likely across the northwestern half of the area. Freezing temperatures are likely across nearly the entire area, with a hard freeze likely for most areas.

CONFIDENCE:

• We are very confident there will be at least some ice accumulation in northwestern portions of the forecast area. Confidence in accumulation drops significantly the farther southeast a location is. We are less confident in how much of the ice will be in the form of freezing rain vs sleet
• We are very confident in the occurrence of very cold temperatures Monday night/Tuesday morning. Freeze and Hard Freeze watches will also be necessary as the cold temperature move into the 48-hour time frame.

Potential Impacts:

Ice and Snow Accumulation:

• Ice accumulation of a glazing up to about 0.25 inches is currently forecast across northwestern areas. There is some potential for a quarter inch of ice in far northwestern portions of the forecast area
• Additional ice accumulation of up to one half inch is forecast in the form of sleet. While sleet is less destructive than freezing rain, it can still lead to slushy and dangerous road conditions.
• Accumulation of sleet//ice could result in dangerous travel conditions - especially during the morning commute Tuesday as any ice on the roads from Monday will not have a chance to melt/evaporate overnight.
• Impacts could linger through Tuesday night as temperatures across northwestern areas struggle to rise above freezing during the day Tuesday.

Freeze/Hard Freeze:

• Hard freeze conditions are expected across much of the area with a light to moderate freeze even across the south shore

• Hard freeze conditions could result in significant damage to unprotected pipes as well as citrus and other sensitive agricultural crops.

The attached briefing highlights the current thinking with respect to the winter weather threats on Monday.

Hour-by-hour forecasts for specific locations can be accessed on our website (www.weather.gov/neworleans) by using the point and click map in the middle of the page. From the point-specific forecast page, click the "Hourly Weather Forecast" on the right side of the page under "Additional Resources". Here you can determine specific durations of time below freezing as well as specific timing for precipitation.

Additional Information and Resources:

NWS New Orleans Website: www.weather.gov/neworleans

NWS New Orleans DSS Website: http://www.weather.gov/lix/embrief

NWS New Orleans Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWSNewOrleans

NWS New Orleans Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSNewOrleans

Online Weather Reporting: https://www.weather.gov/lix/submit_storm_report

Next Update and Contact Information:

The next update will be during the 2pm webinar tomorrow unless a significant change warrants an earlier update.  If you have any questions in the interim or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.  We can be reached by phone at 504-522-7330 or 985-649-0429.  Use extension 4 to speak with a forecaster.  Alternatively, you can reach us by email by replying to this message or sending an email to sr-lix.forecasters@noaa.gov. Both methods will be delivered to the forecasters on shift at the office.

Regards,
Danielle Manning
Meteorologist
NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge