Frigid temps are arriving on the MS Coast. Here’s how cold it will be & what you should do

A gush of arctic air this week will plunge the Mississippi Coast into icy temperatures that could freeze pipes and hurt plants that are left in the path of the cold breeze.

The cold front began Sunday night and will last through Wednesday, forecasters said. Temperatures may not break 50 degrees until Friday.

A hard freeze that starts Monday night could leave areas along the Louisiana and Mississippi border frozen for up to 15 hours, forecasters said. Southern areas, including the Coast, could freeze for as much as 8 hours.

The National Weather Service said warned residents to check on elderly neighbors or anyone who does not have warm shelter, bring pets inside and protect pipes, especially in northern areas where the freeze will last longer.

Strong winds will make it feel colder. The Mississippi Coast is under a cold weather advisory Monday and Tuesday. The first advisory lasts through 9 a.m. Monday and comes with wind chills as low as 16 degrees. Another cold weather advisory will last from midnight to 9 a.m. Tuesday. That advisory could bring wind chills as low as 17 degrees, the National Weather Service said.

Will it snow?

Tyler Stanfield, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service of New Orleans, said there is little chance of snow or ice. Strong winds and low humidity should dry out any water currently pooled on roads after weekend rains, he said, and temperatures will not hit freezing until Monday night.

Temperatures early Tuesday could be 29 or 30 degrees.

A prolonged hard freeze is unlikely on the Coast, he said. But he warned residents should still drip faucets and bring outdoor plants inside.

By Wednesday, the cold will still not relent. Temperatures will rise slightly, but the National Weather Service said there is still a big chance that it could be 25 degrees or lower along I-10 through Wednesday morning.

Any light rain in the forecast starting Thursday will probably fall when temperatures rise above freezing, Stanfield said. “It’s kind of honestly perfectly timed,” he said. “By that point the temperatures will already be in the 40s.”

The risk of freeze declines by the weekend, but Stanfield said the next week will still be cooler than normal.

This story was originally published January 6, 2025 at 8:02 AM.