A strong arctic cold front is expected to move into the area, plunging temperatures with the probability of a wintry mix Tuesday.

Due to the impending inclement weather, Port Arthur Independent School District will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16, according to a press release from the district.
In addition, the Texas Department of Public Safety is urging Texans along the Gulf Coast region to prepare for severe winter weather that may make traveling difficult.

During freezing conditions roads, bridges and elevated structures will likely be impacted and can make driving dangerous.

Little accumulation of snow or ice is expected. But the threat exists, which could make elevated roads and bridges icy across the region, Roger Erickson, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, said.

Sarah Dupre, public information officer for the Texas Department of Transportation Beaumont District, said TxDOT crews would be treating bridges in the area including the Veteran’s Memorial, Rainbow, Intracoastal Canal and Martin Luther King Jr. bridges in Port Arthur.

The last major freeze that affected bridges — causing some to be closed temporarily due to “black ice” — was in January 2014.

In Port Arthur, city crews have sand on standby in case it is needed to treat roadways, according to information from the city.

The strong cold front is expected to move in with the highest temperatures of the day coming in the morning.

“The temperatures will hold steady, then begin a slow fall continuing through the afternoon hours,” Kent Kuyper, with the NWS-Lake Charles, said. “Winds will become strong and gusty behind the front with wind chills in the teens to the lower 20s by the afternoon hours.”

The chance for wintery mix-freezing rain, sleet and maybe some light snow, will continue through Tuesday.

Roads should be dry by Wednesday morning, forecasters said.