While still getting below freezing in most neighborhoods early Tuesday, a slight warming trend will begin. Further temperature improvements will become more dramatic throughout the rest of the week. 

Tonight & Tomorrow: Expect another cold night ahead, but it will not be anything like Monday morning’s deep freeze. Lows will dip a few degrees below freezing in the Metro Area, with mid to upper 20s likely north of town. Communities by the coast will only flirt with the freezing mark. Capital Area residents will need to continue protecting the P’s into Tuesday morning:

People: Break out the heavy coats when heading off to work or sending children to the bus stop. It’s also not a bad idea to wear gloves and a hat, though wind chills won’t be nearly as bitter as they were early Monday. For those using portable space heaters, keep them away from flammable materials and never leave them unattended.

Pets: What feels cold to a human also feels cold to animals. Make sure pets have a warm place to rest overnight.

Plants: Keep sensitive vegetation covered or indoors. Fewer will experience a hard freeze, but a light freeze appears likely at the very least for most.

Pipes: A few point locations north and east of Baton Rouge could see another hard freeze into Tuesday morning (28° or lower for a few hours). Already wrapped pipes should be fine, and a slow drip from faucets overnight may add peace of mind. Those in the city and south of I-10 should avoid another hard freeze.

Overnight lows could occur a few hours before dawn as thin high clouds begin arriving late. Those clouds will thicken through Tuesday. Even so, a warming south wind will nudge temperatures upward into the low 60s.

Up Next: Frigid mornings will soon become a distant memory as lows jump into the 40s on Wednesday and 50s by Thursday. Daytime highs will surge too, into the upper 60s on Wednesday despite cloud cover and the occasional light shower. Highs will climb just shy of 80° on Thursday in advance of another cold front, which will bring a round of showers and storms late. That rain should clear before dawn on Friday. A brief, modest cooldown will follow with highs returning to the 60s, before another quick rebound this weekend with 70s by day and near-60° by night. Above-average warmth looks likely to persist through Christmas week.

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— Meteorologist Malcolm Byron

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