First freeze of season coming soon

The Tri-City area will get an early look at winter this week.
And, although forecasters now say the mercury won’t dip quite as low as previously expected, we’re still likely to see freezing temperatures for at least a couple of hours before dawn Wednesday.
The chance of rain will increase Monday night from 30% to 80%, according to the National Weather Service in Lake Charles.
When the rain clears out Tuesday, it will leave behind colder temperatures. The high Tuesday will be only about 45 degrees.
The low Wednesday morning will be near 28 degrees, the forecast said.
Highs the rest of the week will be in the mid-50s, and the lows will be in the low 40s.
The sub-freezing weather calls for precautions with exposed pipes, outdoor plants and pets.
Experts also regularly warn people to be careful with space heaters by keeping them away from flammable material.
The National Weather Service said a cold front is expected to move into southwestern Louisiana Monday night. By Tuesday night, a hard freeze is expected north of Interstate 10, and a light freeze is expected along the coast.
The Wednesday morning low in Breaux Bridge is expected to be 24 degrees.
The front to blame for the unseasonably cold weather is from Siberia — yes, Siberia — and it’s heading toward a huge chunk of the United States. It could set record-low temperatures from Texas to New England.
National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Donofrio said Saturday that the weather service’s National Digital Forecast Database indicates that some 200 records might fall between Monday and Wednesday. For example, the Tuesday expected high of 23 degrees (-5 Celsius) at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport would be a full 5 degrees lower than the record-low set in 1995, he said.
The cold front moved through the Upper Midwest and the northern Plains on Sunday and was expected to continue southward and eastward on Monday and Tuesday, sending temperatures plunging below freezing all the way south to the Gulf Coast.
It will bring January-like temperatures to some locations that are as much as 30 degrees (17 degrees Celsius) colder than normal for this time of year.
Donofrio said the leading edge of the system was expected to bring some snow on Monday. Although the snow is expected to taper off on Monday, temperatures are forecast to keep falling.