The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued freeze warnings and watches across nine Southern states due to an approaching cold front. Freeze warnings were issued for Central Texas, southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, and central Mississippi, with the coldest temperatures expected in Jackson, Mississippi, dropping to 25 degrees. In Texas, the warning extends to southwest and western regions with temperatures as low as 28 degrees.
The freeze watches span eastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, the Florida panhandle, parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and southern North Carolina. The warnings advise protection for sensitive vegetation and outdoor plumbing. Additionally, the NWS in Mobile, Alabama, warns of temperatures dropping into the upper 20s to low 30s through the weekend. Meanwhile, an arctic blast is forecasted to hit the northern Plains states with wind chills as low as 40 degrees below zero in North Dakota. Residents are advised to take precautions against frostbite in these extreme conditions.