Schools stay closed Thursday, but roads, bridges re-open

Schools in St. Mary Parish stayed closed Thursday because of some maintenance issues caused by hard freezes, but roadways and bridges in the area re-opened during the day Wednesday after sunny weather helped them thaw.

“Having that sun out all day long yesterday and cars driving on the road eliminated the problems because that’s all it takes,” said Duval Arthur, St. Mary Parish’s homeland security and emergency preparedness director.

Once workers were able to break up the ice on the roads and bridges, the ice started melting, Arthur said.

At St. Mary Parish public schools, principals and members of the district maintenance and school custodial staffs reported Thursday to address these problems and allow schools to reopen Friday, Assistant Superintendent Teresa Bagwell said.

Superintendent Leonard Armato said Thursday morning that officials hope to be able to re-open schools Friday, but first had to see how many problems they encounter after temperatures got above freezing during the day Thursday.

Central Catholic High School, Holy Cross Elementary School, Stephensville Elementary School and South Central Louisiana Technical College’s Young Memorial Campus all remained closed Thursday, too.

Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport near Patterson reached a low temperature of 18 degrees Wednesday morning with a wind chill of 4 degrees. The high temperature Wednesday was 34 degrees in Patterson, according to the National Weather Service.

The Wednesday low of 18 degrees may have been the lowest temperatures recorded in the area since 1989, Arthur said.

On Thursday morning, the temperature at the Patterson airport got down to 22 degrees with a wind chill of 12 degrees.

The closest National Weather Service station to the Morgan City area that keeps track of record temperatures is in New Iberia.

Acadiana Regional Airport in New Iberia recorded a Jan. 17 record low of 17 degrees Wednesday. The previous low for that day was 21 degrees in 1977, said meteorologist Rob Megnia of the National Weather Service’s Lake Charles office.

All of the National Weather Service Lake Charles office’s other weather stations had Jan. 17 record lows Wednesday, which includes Lake Charles, Lafayette, Alexandria and Beaumont, Texas, Megnia said.

The temperatures are expected to warm substantially within the next few days with highs of 42 degrees Thursday, 55 degrees Friday, 67 degrees Saturday, and 72 degrees Sunday at the Patterson airport. Lows are projected to reach 30 degrees Thursday, 45 degrees Friday, 54 degrees Saturday and 58 degrees Sunday.

Precipitation will return to the forecast for Sunday with a 70 percent chance of showers Sunday night.