The City of New Orleans today announced that it will activate a citywide freeze plan in anticipation of the extreme winter weather expected to bring dangerously low temperatures below freezing starting Monday evening, Jan. 15.

According to the National Weather Service, prolonged cold temperatures are expected from Monday night, January 15th, through Wednesday, January 17th.  Confidence is high that there will be several days next week of freezing temperatures with hard freeze possible on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. There is no forecasted frozen precipitation for the entire area at this time. 

The City of New Orleans announced that City Hall will close today, Jan. 8, at 12 p.m. in anticipation of inclement weather impacting New Orleans and surrounding areas. City Hall will resume normal operations on Tuesday, Jan. 9.

Other than precautions taken for safety of personnel during the height of severe weather, essential City services, such as public safety and infrastructure, are not affected by this closure.   

In anticipation of cold weather, the City of New Orleans will activate the Citywide Freeze Plan (CFP) overnight, Thursday, December 28, 2023, through Friday morning, December 29, 2023.

The National Weather Service predicts "feels like" temperatures at or slightly below freezing during overnight hours on this night.  This projected range is within the CFP activation threshold of below 35 degrees Fahrenheit for over four (4) hours.  There are no watches or warnings anticipated with this event.  

The New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD), New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP), Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) and Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) today provided updates on the active wildfire that is currently burning underground in forested wetlands on private property between Bayou Sauvage National Urban Wildlife Refuge and the Michoud Canal. The City of New Orleans and partner agencies are coordinating efforts to address this situation and are actively working to mitigate this incident.  

There are no immediate threats to residential or commercial structures in the area at this time. The biggest hazard from this active incident is smoke that is impacting air quality and driver visibility.

In light of potential saltwater intrusion from the Mississippi River, NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) and Jefferson Parish Schools (JP Schools) have partnered to reaffirm their unwavering commitment to the safety and quality of the educational experience for scholars across our communities. Together, our school districts are taking proactive measures to address this issue with the utmost care and attention.

In partnership with the Office of Economic Development, NOLA Ready is hosting a webinar for businesses to discuss the saltwater intrusion.

Gov. John Bel Edwards convened a working group meeting with the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as well as parish officials from Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard to discuss the latest updates on the lower Mississippi River saltwater intrusion. As of today, the current timeline for the progression of the saltwater remains the same, and all state and local efforts remain focused on mitigating any further intrusion.

On Wednesday, September 27, 2023, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has approved his request for an Emergency Declaration due to the lower Mississippi River saltwater intrusion.