Temperatures went back above freezing this afternoon, but Chris Bannon with the National Weather Service says we’ll see another hard freeze tonight, which isn’t good for already iced over roads…

(Cut 6) (09) “over night.”

Governor John Bel Edwards issued a State of Emergency this morning.  He is urging people to stay home while DOTD crews get salt and deicing agents on the roadways to prevent refreezing…

(CUT 11) (10) “refreeze again.”

The Governor’s office says four people, including a first responder, have died as a result of the icy conditions.  Three fatalities are related to traffic accidents and the fourth death is from hypothermia in Pointe Coupee Parish.

Cars have been slipping and sliding all over icy roads today. Michelle Southern reports…:

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Many SWEPCO customers in northwest Louisiana are without electricity and heat.  SWEPCO spokesperson Carey Sullivan says the heavy ice accumulation is the main cause of the power outages…

Cut 9 (12) “our outages.”

Louisiana Radio Network News, I’m Matt Doyle.

Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency.  Kelley Ray explains what that means…

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The DOTD says that interstates that are still closed will remain closed until tomorrow.

Authorities say An 84-year-old Point Coupee man was found dead in his home this morning due to hypothermia. Paul Maker was pronounced dead on the scene after Deputies arrived at 11AM this morning after one of his neighbors called 9-1-1.

It was 20 degrees in the house when authorities arrived.

LRN

Needless to say the icy road conditions are something Louisianans are not familiar with, but there are still motorists out who are required to be at work. State Police Senior Trooper Bryan Lee says based on the number of crashes they saw in a short period of time this morning, plenty of people can’t handle a vehicle on the ice…:

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Lee says troopers responded to at least 40 crashes this morning.

This morning before 10am, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says an 8 month old child died, and its mother is in grave condition after their vehicle slid into a canal in Metairie from what authorities say appears to be the result of iced roads. DOTD Spokesman Rodney Mallett says He says even when the temperatures get above freezing, it make take a while for the roads to thaw out…:

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Mallett says they will work to re-open the bridges and interstates as soon as it is safe to do so. No timetable has been announced yet.

LRN News

Some roads continue to be covered in ice but sections of Louisiana’s interstates remain closed due to treacherous conditions.  The Transportation Department’s Rodney Mallett says, despite all of the interstate closures, their crews have been working around the clock to make it to where at least some travel is possible…:

Cut 15 (11) “ferry all night”

A State of Emergency remains in effect for the state.  Governor John Bel Edwards says it was a tough morning for drivers to navigate and is concerned tonight’s cold temperatures could be a repeat of this morning…

CUT 13 (09) “freeze again.”

Temps will remain below freezing tonight and tomorrow night before rebounding for the weekend.

Baton Rouge drivers found roads in the capital city slicker than an ice skating rink.  State Police Trooper Bryan Lee says troopers responded to at least 40 crashes involving cars sliding off the roadways between 5 and 9am.   He says it’s advisable to stay at home if you can…

Cut 4 (09) “be patient.”

The Governor’s Office says 4 deaths are attributed to the cold snap.  A firefighter in West Feliciana Parish on Highway 61 near St. Francisville was killed after responding to an accident.  An eight month old baby died when the car her mother was driving slid off the roadway and plunged into a canal in Metairie.  The mother is listed in critical condition.  An elderly man died in Point Coupee Parish after suffering a fall and a pedestrian was struck and killed by a car while walking on the Highrise Bridge on    I-10 in New Orleans.

Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency as a result of this wicked winter weather. Edwards says 12-hundred DOTD employees have helped put one-point-five million pounds of salt on the roadways statewide. He says it is critical for everyone to stay off the frozen highways…
cut 12 (10) “…the hospital”
A volunteer firefighter in West Feliciana Parish was killed this morning while working a crash. And in Jefferson Parish, an eight-month-old was killed when a car slid into a Metairie canal. Her mother is in critical condition.

There’s still a couple of inches of snow on the ground in north Louisiana. C-S Ross with the National Weather Service says that snow will stick around for a couple of days….
cut 8 (10) “…low to mid 40s”

Parts of all major interstates in Louisiana are closed because of the icy conditions. Michelle Southern has more…
voicer 1 (32) “…reporting’

Thousands of SWEPCO customers do not have electricity. SWEPCO spokesperson Carey Sullivan says crews are working as quickly as possible to restore power, but can only work as fast as the weather allows…
cut 10 (11) “….restore power”

Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency. Kelley Ray explains what that means.
Cut 2 (31) “I’m Kelley Ray.”

State Transportation spokesperson Rodney Mallett says some roads appear easier to travel than they actually are…
cut 14 (09) “…dangerous situation”

The state fire marshal’s office says a firefighter in West Feliciana Parish was killed in the line of duty last night. The fireman was working a wreck on U-S 61 north of St. Francisville when he was struck by vehicle. His name has not been released.

Record lows were set in Baton Rouge and New Orleans this morning. Baton Rouge got down to 14-degrees, shattering a 41-year-old record. CS Ross with the National Weather Service says Shreveport and Monroe each recorded lows of 12-degrees…
cut 7 (08) “…1982”
Another hard freeze is expected late tonight and into tomorrow morning.

The state of Louisiana feels more like a frozen tundra today as record breaking cold temperatures were hit. Chris Bannon with National Weather Service in Slidell says temperatures will get back above freezing this afternoon, but we’ll see another hard freeze tonight, which is not good for icy roads…:
Cut 6 (09) “over night”
State Police Senior Trooper Bryan Lee says based on the number of crashes they saw in a short period of time this morning, plenty of people can’t handle a vehicle on the ice…:
Cut 3 (11) “use caution”
This morning before 10am, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office says a woman and child suffered very serious injuries when their vehicle slid into a canal.

Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a State of Emergency due to the hazardous winter weather conditions. He says it’s imperative that people stay home since DOTD crews have a short time to get salt and deicing agents applied to prevent tonight’s cold temperatures to refreeze the roads…:
Cut 11 (10) “refreeze again”
He says to also check 5-1-1-L-A for the latest driving conditions.

Thousands are without power today. Many SWEPCO customers in northwest Louisiana are without electricity and heat. SWEPCO spokesperson Carey Sullivan says the heavy ice accumulation is the main cause of the power outages…:
Cut 9 (12) “our outages”
Sullivan says crews are working as quickly as possible to restore power.

Temperatures are in the teens to the low 20s across the state at this hour. Robert Megnia (meg-knee-a), with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says it feels even colder outside because of a north wind at about 10 miles per hour…
cut 30 (08) “…nine degrees”
And in case you are wondering, this is record breaking cold. Chris Bannon with National Weather Service says 40 year-old records were broken in Baton Rouge and New Orleans….
cut 5 (13) “….1977”
Governor Edwards has declared a state of emergency because of the dangerous winter conditions. Edwards says over 1.5 million pounds of salt has been distributed and 12-hundred D-O-T-D employees have been working around the clock.

Thousands are without power today. Many SWEPCO customers in northwest Louisiana are without electricity and heat. SWEPCO spokesperson Carey Sullivan says the heavy ice accumulation is the main cause of the power outages…
cut 9 (12) “…our outages”
Sullivan says crews are working as quickly as possible to restore the power, but the weather and slick roads are presenting a challenge.

UNO has conducted a poll to find who Louisiana voters would vote for in a hypothetical election between President Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey. 60-percent of respondents said they would vote for Mr. Trump and UNO pollster Ed Chervenak says 36-percent of black voters support the President over Oprah. He says that’s because Louisiana leans conservative…
cut 6 (07) “….the state”

We’re experiencing some of the coldest temperatures of the season today, and several records have already been broken throughout the state. In New Orleans, the airport reached 20 degrees around 6am shattering a previous record of 23 degrees set on this day in 1977. The Baton Rouge Airport was 14 degrees around 7am, beating a record low of 18 degrees in 1977.

The roads are iced over and drivers are having a hard time getting around:
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Iced roads and closed schools have many workers asking if they have to go to their jobs today. Baton Rouge Attorney Yigal Bander says if your boss threatens you with a pink slip for skipping work, he could fire you. But if you have a legal disability, and are fired today for not attending, you may have a legal recourse…:
Cut 9 (10) “have a case”

If a presidential election between Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey actually happened, 60% of voters in Louisiana say they would vote for Mr. Trump. That’s according to a UNO Poll, and pollster Ed Chervenak who says white men and women had nearly identical levels of support for Mr. Trump, but the numbers were different among black voters…:
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The poll was of 722 Louisiana voters.