Governor declares state of emergency due to weather conditions

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On Wednesday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency in La. due to weather conditions.
The governor’s decision followed a rare second round of snowfall in La. and Evangeline Parish in a matter of just six weeks.
The extreme temperatures, which dropped as low as 14 degrees with a windchill in the single digits in the parish, forced the closure of all schools on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday many local businesses and the courthouse had also closed due to the weather.
The snow and icy conditions also led to the closure of major interstates in Louisiana, including I-49 near Opelousas.
Wednesday morning, temperatures in New Orleans dropped to 20 degrees, which is now the lowest recorded temperature ever in the Crescent City. Prior to that, the record was 23 degrees, which was set on January 17, 1977.
According to the Weather Channel, things should start to slowly warm up over the next few days, with the high expected to be 43 degrees today and a low of 25 degrees.
The Weather Channel predicts that on Friday, temperatures in Evangeline Parish will move out of the twenties with the high expected to be 49 degrees and a low of 39.
Temperatures will continue to rise and by Sunday the Weather Channel predicts that the high will be 71 degrees while the low will be 51 degrees.