Louisiana

FIRST ALERT: Extreme cold and dangerous wind chills in South Louisiana

Published

2 weeks ago

January 26, 2026

FIRST ALERT: Extreme cold and dangerous wind chills in South Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Extreme cold and dangerous wind chills have settled into South Louisiana following this weekend’s winter storm.

Jared Silverman gives the 5 a.m. weather update on Monday, Jan. 26.

EXTREME COLD WARNING

An Extreme Cold Warning remains in effect through Tuesday at noon. Temperatures are expected to stay in the teens and 20s, with wind chills in the teens and possibly single digits, both this morning and again Tuesday morning.

Take action now to protect people, pets, pipes, and plants. Keep in mind that home fires are more common during winter due to increased use of fireplaces and portable heaters. Always follow recommended safety precautions when heating your home.

An Extreme Cold Warning remains in effect through Tuesday afternoon for dangerous wind chill values.(WAFB)

TODAY’S COLD FORECAST

After a frigid start with widespread hard freeze conditions, temperatures will only recover to the upper 30s this afternoon. A persistent northerly breeze will keep conditions feeling bitterly cold all day.

Today's forecast features cold temperatures and a northerly freeze, making it feel frigid... — Today’s forecast features cold temperatures and a northerly freeze, making it feel frigid throughout the day.(WAFB)

Wind chill values will struggle to rise out of the teens until late morning, only reaching the low 30s this afternoon. It will remain dangerously cold all day long.

Forecast wind chill values remain in the teens through late morning and peak in the low 30s... — Forecast wind chill values remain in the teens through late morning and peak in the low 30s this afternoon.(WAFB)

Temperatures will fall back below freezing quickly after sunset, leading to another widespread hard freeze overnight into Tuesday morning.

DANGEROUS COLD TUESDAY MORNING

Overnight temperatures into Tuesday morning are expected to drop into the teens across much of South Louisiana, with 20s closer to the coast. Combined with winds, feels-like temperatures will be even colder, resulting in another morning of extreme cold and hard freeze conditions.

Forecast lows overnight into Tuesday morning look to drop into the teens and 20s, making for... — Forecast lows overnight into Tuesday morning look to drop into the teens and 20s, making for another hard freeze.(WAFB)

MORE FREEZING MORNINGS

Expect several more mornings below freezing this week. Temperatures moderate slightly by Friday, but another strong cold front arrives late Friday into Saturday, bringing another round of very cold air and potential hard freeze conditions.

Forecast low temperatures stay below freezing through Thursday, then drop back below freezing... — Forecast low temperatures stay below freezing through Thursday, then drop back below freezing again by the weekend.(WAFB)

EXTENDED FORECAST

Dangerous cold remains in place through Tuesday, followed by continued below-normal temperatures for the rest of the week. Another surge of colder air returns heading into the weekend, keeping freezing mornings in the forecast.

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Louisiana

Unemployment claims in Louisiana declined last week

Published

10 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Unemployment claims in Louisiana declined last week

Staff reports
| USA TODAY Network

Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Louisiana dropped last week compared with the week prior, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

New jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 1,107 in the week ending January 31, down from 1,400 the week before, the Labor Department said.

U.S. unemployment claims rose to 231,000 last week, up 22,000 claims from 209,000 the week prior on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Mississippi saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, with claims jumping by 75.4%. Nebraska, meanwhile, saw the largest percentage drop in new claims, with claims dropping by 70.7%.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s weekly unemployment insurance claims report.

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Louisiana

Newsom to Louisiana AG: ‘Go —- yourself’ over abortion pill extradition

Published

22 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Newsom to Louisiana AG: ‘Go —- yourself’ over abortion pill extradition

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill exchanged sharp words on social media over abortion pill access.
Louisiana plans to sue California and New York to force the extradition of doctors accused of mailing abortion pills into the state.
Both California and New York have refused extradition requests, citing state shield laws that protect doctors.
Louisiana’s attorney general argues the refusal to extradite violates the U.S. Constitution.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom hurled a vulgar expletive at Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill in a social media post in response to Murrill’s plan to sue California and New York to force extradition of doctors accused of mailing abortion pills to Louisiana.

“Louisiana plans to sue me because I won’t extradite a doctor for providing an abortion,” California’s Democratic governor said Thursday night in a post on X. “@AGLizMurrill: Go —- yourself. California will never help you criminalize healthcare.”

Murrill quickly responded with her own post on X and a text to USA Today Network.

“Bless your heart @GavinNewsom. Killing Louisiana babies isn’t healthcare, nor is shielding California drug dealers,” said Murrill, a Republican. “The sovereign State of Louisiana will defend life. See ya soon.”

During the past two years Murrill has secured felony indictments against New York Dr. Margaret Carpenter and Remy Coeytaux accusing them of mailing abortion pills to women in Louisiana, where abortion is illegal in almost all cases.

Louisiana has sent extradition requests signed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry to both states, but Newsom and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have refused to extradite the doctors for criminal prosecution.

Both Newsom and Hochul have cited shield laws in their states that protect doctors from prosecution. Abortion remains legal in California and New York.

In a separate post on X, Murrill reiterated her intention to file lawsuits that aim to force extradition.

“@GovKathyHochul and @CAgovernor are not above the Constitution, and we will hold them accountable,” she said in her post. “The Supreme Court’s precedents on important Constitutional provisions like the Extradition Clause and the Full Faith and Credit Clause forbid this assault on Louisiana’s sovereignty and her citizens.”

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

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Louisiana

Louisiana proposes letting hunters use drones to find wounded prey, but not shoot them

Published

1 day ago

February 5, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana proposes letting hunters use drones to find wounded prey, but not shoot them

Hunting regulators in Louisiana are considering a change to state regulations to allow the use of drones to help hunters locate prey after it’s been shot, but it’s not yet clear whether doing so would fly in the face of a federal law that bans hunting by air.

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