Forecast: Cold for sure; snow, probably not

Last weekend, the long-range and uncertain forecast for this coming weekend was “snow, maybe. Cold, definitely.”
The newest forecasts show the smallest of chances for freezing rain, sleet or snow in east St. Mary, but colder weather, maybe as low as 20 degrees early next week, is on the way.
The current National Weather Service forecast for the area near Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport in Patterson is for highs in the 50s Friday through Sunday. The low Saturday morning is supposed to be about 44 degrees; 36 degrees Sunday morning; and 39 degrees Monday morning.
That’s as far as the current forecast goes. The Weather Channel’s weather.com website predicts a low in the upper 20 degrees Tuesday morning in Morgan City.
As for snow, sleet or freezing rain, a National Weather Service livestream Wednesday night said wintry precipitation is possible Saturday and Sunday, and snow accumulation of 1-2 inches is possible Monday in the Alexandria area.
St. Mary is given a chance close to zero for snow or sleet. But meteorologist Donald Jones said winter weather is “finicky, very difficult to forecast in the Deep South.”
Portions of central Louisiana could see lows in the teens.
The cold would have made for some unpleasant bead-throwing along the routes at Mardi Gras parades, but those events were called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic anyway.
One event was still on for Saturday: the Operation Beautification Community Clean-Up. That event is still on as of Wednesday afternoon, said Beth Price of Morgan City Main Street, but she’s watching the weather before making the final call.
The clean-up is scheduled for 8 a.m.-noon Saturday. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium parking lot.
The last significant snow in east St. Mary was on Dec. 7, 2017, when 2-3 inches of snow accumulated in portions of the region.
Temperatures in the 20s generally signal the need to wrap exposed pipes, see to the safety of pets and to cover tender plants or bring them inside.
The National Fire Protection Association offers these safety tips for cold weather:
—Keep anything that burns at least 3 feet away from fireplaces, space heaters and other appliances that generate heat.
—Have vents and fireplace flues cleaned by a professional every year.
—Don’t plug more than one heat-generating appliance into a single outlet.
—If a weather-related power outage brings out the generator, keep it outdoors and at least 10 feet away from windows and vents and out of enclosed areas such as garages.
—Install carbon monoxide detectors and test them monthly.
—Store fireplace or stove ashes in a covered metal container at least 10 feet from your house.