2 dead in Louisiana as extreme cold reaches New Orleans

The big picture: The arctic blast that coated north Louisiana in ice is settling into New Orleans, bringing the coldest air so far of the season.

• NWS issued an extreme cold warning for New Orleans, a rare occurrence that is used when temperatures or wind chills pose an imminent threat to life or property.
• Expect "dangerously cold wind chills," NWS says. New Orleans is forecast to feel like 15 degrees Monday morning and 21 degrees on Tuesday.
• Residents should dress in layers when outside, keep pets indoors and protect pipes and plants.

Threat level: Two men died in Caddo Parish over the weekend due to hypothermia, state health officials say.

What to know

Transportation: Officials are monitoring for ice Monday morning in New Orleans, but NWS says it's more likely north of the city.

• Roads and bridges remain hazardous in other parts of the state, DOTD says.
• I-10 was fully open in Louisiana as of last night, per DOTD's real-time traffic map.

Outages: About 87,000 customers were without power in Louisiana as of Sunday night, according to Entergy's outage map, mainly in north Louisiana.

• No major outages were reported on the South Shore as of Sunday night.

Schools: Many are closed Monday, including in New Orleans. See WWL's list.

Water: Orleans and Jefferson officials haven't asked for water conservation efforts yet, but those requests may come Monday.

• Officials usually ask residents during an extended freeze to limit nonessential water use from dishwashers and washing machines.

Flights: MSY is open, but snow and ice elsewhere are causing delays.

Shelters: Warming shelters are open in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish.