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Arctic blast hits North, heading this way

Bitterly cold weather has taken control of much of the northern United States. St. Mary Parish’s turn comes next week, although not as severely.
A National Weather Service statement for much of the region, including St. Mary and lower St. Martin, said a strong arctic front will move through east Texas and south Louisiana on Sunday afternoon. Northern portions of the region may even see freezing rain on New Year’s Eve, although no accumulation is expected.
The long-range forecast calls for lows of 20-25 degrees Monday and Tuesday nights, and wind chills Monday night could be as low as 10-15 degrees as far south as the Intracoastal Waterway.
“People may want to start thinking about what precautions they might need to take to cope with the bitter cold,” the National Weather Service statement said.
“For example, care of exposed pipes, sensitive vegetation, and shelter for pets and farm animals. Proper clothing and attire to prevent hypothermia.”
The National Weather Service reported International Falls, Minnesota, the self-proclaimed Icebox of the Nation, plunged to 37 degrees below zero Thursday, breaking the old record of 32 below set in 1924. Wind chill advisories or warnings were in effect for much of New England, northern Pennsylvania and New York.
Those places and states in the northern Plains and Great Laakes were projected to see highs in the teens or single digits and lows below zero for the rest of the week and into the new year.
People in Erie, Pennsylvania, continued to dig out from a storm that brought 34 inches of snow on Christmas Day, smashing the daily snowfall record for the Great Lakes city of 8 inches, and 26.5 more inches on Tuesday. More than 65 inches total fell on the city in just a few days.
Strong westerly winds over Lake Erie picked up moisture, developed into snow and converged with opposing winds, dumping snow in a band along the shore from Ohio to New York, said Zach Sefcovic, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Cleveland.
Sabrina Ram drove into Erie on Christmas Eve to visit her parents just as the snow began to fall. Ram, who lives in suburban Washington, D.C., and her father spent five hours on Christmas and two hours on Tuesday clearing the driveway.
“In D.C., we’d be out of commission for weeks,” Ram said. “Things here are pretty much back to normal now.”
In New York, communities near Lake Ontario’s eastern end, including Redfield and Boylston, also saw around 5 feet of snow this week.
Officials said the storm’s timing was good, since people were off the streets and staying home for Christmas, giving plows more space to clear streets.
By Wednesday, Erie’s roads were relatively clear, emergency calls were relatively slow and the big task was digging out, County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper said.
“We’re used to a lot of snow here in Erie, but this is unprecedented, the amount we got,” Dahlkemper said.

ST. MARY NOW

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