By Sandy Cunningham

L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Local residents need to make sure their exposed pipes are wrapped, their plants and pets are inside and they have a safe method of home heating as temperatures are set to plunge into the lower 20s and possibly the upper teens by Thursday.

Residents woke to temperatures in the upper 20s in the River Parishes Tuesday morning, and temperatures in the mid 20s were expected overnight last night.

And while the weather will warm up a bit today and rain is expected to move in, don’t get too comfortable when temperatures don’t drop quite so far tonight.

“Thursday there’s a 60 percent chance of rain, and we’ll have winds out of the north 15-25 miles per hour,” said Shawn O’Neil, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Slidell. “That will reinforce the cold shot coming at us. Thursday night temperatures will be in the lower 20s on the Southshore.”

Most of the weekend will be the same, O’Neil said.

“Friday we don’t expect to make it out of the 30s,” he said. “And Friday and Saturday nights we’ll be in the lower 20s. It wouldn’t be totally out of the question to see the temperature in the teens, even on the Southshore.”

O’Neil said these low temperatures will last at least six hours each night, and while the rain is expected to move out Thursday afternoon before the thermometer drops, their could be some slight icing problems caused by lingering water.

No snow is expected, he said.

O’Neil said while the normal high for this time of year is 62 degrees, the area is continuing to get shots of cold air coming fast enough so that the temperature can’t moderate to where it should be.

With the extremely cold forecast, residents need to be prepared and follow some basic tips, including:

• When outside, dress in layered clothing and wear some sort of head cover.

• Keep pets inside; when necessary to walk them do so in the grass, not on the cold sidewalk.

• Bring potted plants inside.

• Cover outdoor plants with cloth. Cold will penetrate plastic.

• Check space heaters for sufficient ventilation and wire connection.

• Make sure fireplace flues are working properly.

• Check extension cords for breaks or fraying.

• Do not use charcoal or gas grills indoors. The produce deadly carbon monoxide fumes.

• Check on the elderly and the infirm.