Winter storm shuts down all state offices Monday

Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne announced Sunday that state offices will be closed statewide Monday as Louisiana braces for a winter storm.

The office close, according to a statement from Dardenne’s office, “applies to all nonessential employees, including those authorized to work from home due to COVID-19.”

Dardenne said his announcement may be updated as conditions change. State residents shouldn’t expect to do any non-essential business with the state before Wednesday. State offices will be closed Tuesday for Mardi Gras.

According to an overnight alert from the National Weather Service in Shreveport, that region of Louisiana, Texas Oklahoma and Arkansas should expect “heavy mixed precipitation (turning) to snow late this morning. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 6 inches are expected across much of the region, with lesser amounts across north-central Louisiana. Additional sleet accumulations of around 1 inch and ice accumulations of around a tenth of an inch are possible across mainly north-central Louisiana.”

The weather service predicts “very cold wind chills ranging from 10 below zero across McCurtain County (Okla.) to around 15 degrees across north-central
Louisiana are possible later this afternoon.”

According to a 4:30 a.m. alert from the National Weather Service office in New Orleans: “Heavy freezing rain or sleet is expected across (much of Southeast Louisiana) during the day today before ending from west to east in the afternoon hours. The expected precipitation amounts, especially of ice, are likely to produce significant impacts. After the precipitation ends, even colder air will arrive tonight, producing wind chill values in the single digits and teens overnight into Tuesday morning.”

Across the country more than 150 million Americans, nearly half the population, are under winter storm warnings.