Showers are in the forecast for Saturday and Sunday, but those are the days to enjoy the warm temperatures. An arctic cold front is heading southward and a hard freeze will hit by Sunday night.
Meteorologist Roger Erickson with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles said a hard freeze is expected through Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The daytime temperatures on Monday and Tuesday might not get warmer than the 30s.
Erickson said the last time the area had an extended hard freeze was in 2010.
People across Orange County have been preparing for the hard freeze. They have been shopping for pipe covers, faucet covers, tarps, batteries space heaters, and warm clothes.
Jo Harris of Farmers Mercantile said people should also worry about their animals. Many of the mercantile’s customers have farm animals and they have been buying heat lamps or propane heaters, along with hay. Harris said it’s important to make sure the animals have something to keep them warm and are fed.
The store was sold out of heat lamps Friday afternoon but had the bulbs. She expects more lamps on Tuesday. In addition, the mercantile Friday afternoon still had pipe covers, kerosene, kerosene lamps, and small propane heaters.
As of Friday afternoon, no public or private group had planned to open warming stations for people to avoid the cold. But some churches were considering it according to social media.
Many people after Tropical Storm Harvey are still living in trailers or in houses that are only partially repaired.
Meteorologist Erickson gave a warning about using space heaters. He said cold weather brings an increase of house fires with space heaters being a major cause.
He said space heaters should be kept three feet from furniture, clothing, bedding, or other flammables. In addition, space heaters should not be left running in an empty room. Space heaters should not be used when people are sleeping.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises people to choose heaters that cut off automatically if they are tipped over and ones that stay cool to the touch. Space heaters should always be plugged directly into the wall outlet and never into extension cords or power strips.
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