Lake Charles, Louisiana – Drivers across southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas could face slick roads this weekend as a surge of colder air sets the stage for freezing rain late Saturday into Sunday, especially north of Interstate 10.
According to the National Weather Service office in Lake Charles, a strong cold front is expected to move through late Friday into Saturday, dropping temperatures to near or below freezing while rain remains in place. The highest risk for measurable ice accumulation, greater than one hundredth of an inch, stretches along and north of the Highway 190 corridor, where probabilities range from 50 to 75 percent.
Communities including Jasper, Newton, DeRidder, Oakdale, and Alexandria sit in the zone of greatest concern. Areas between I-10 and Highway 190, including Lake Charles, Kinder, and Jennings, carry a 30 to 50 percent chance of icing. South of I-10 toward the coast, including Cameron Parish and coastal Jefferson County, the risk drops but does not disappear.
Before the cold arrives, periods of rain are expected midweek, with a 40 to 80 percent chance of rainfall totals exceeding a half inch across much of southeast Texas and western Louisiana. That moisture could worsen road conditions once temperatures fall.
Residents are urged to avoid unnecessary travel late Saturday and Sunday, charge devices, and monitor updates, as advisories or warnings may be issued as confidence increases.
