In East St. Mary, winter is coming

On Wednesday, a year to the day after East St. Mary saw the biggest snowfall in a generation, locals heard about more winter weather to come.
Morning lows are expected to dip into the mid-20s Monday and Tuesday. Winds of 20 mph or more could drive the wind chill even lower.
As of Thursday morning, a cold weather advisory was set to go into effect from 6 p.m. Saturday until noon Sunday.
The National Weather Service said frostbite and hypothermia will occur if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures.
Residents are also being warned to protect pipes, bring plants indoors or cover outdoor plants, and bring pets inside when possible. When it isn’t, make sure outdoor animals have shelter and a source of unfrozen water.
Much of Louisiana will also be a target for even colder temperatures, snow and significant accumulations of ice due to freezing rain.
Wintery precipitation isn’t expected in our region, but nearby areas near Lafayette and Baton Rouge are expected to see freezing rain.
At the St. Mary Parish School Board, administrators are keeping an eye on the weather.
As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, Superintendent Dr. Rachael Sanders said in an email, “there is still much uncertainty for the upcoming weather impacts on southern and coastal parishes.
“Currently, it appears that the frozen precipitation will begin to slack south of the I-10 corridor. However, we all know how quickly the weather can change in Louisiana; therefore, the district will continue to monitor updates closely and participate in any calls that may come in from the NWS.
“We will also remain in communication with our local and parish officials. The hope is that we have more confidence in the forecast by the end of the school day Friday and a decision can be made at that time.
“Regardless, we will push out communications to families on Friday, so that they will know at that point where we are in our decision-making process. Closing school because of inclement weather is always a tough decision, but we will put the safety of our students, employees, and families first.”
Cleco announced that the electric utility is staging crews in its 24-parish service area in anticipation of power outages.
The Jan. 21, 2025, snowstorm fell just short of the record of 10 inches set in 1895 in Franklin.
The other most recent significant snow came in December 2017, when 2-3 inches fell in Morgan City.