NEWS

Winter Storm Fern Hits Region, Brutal Cold Delivers One-Two Punch

Red River Radio | By Jeff Ferrell

Published January 25, 2026 at 8:54 PM CST

As darkness falls on an ice-blanketed city of Shreveport, so too does the temperature; already hovering well below freezing, the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast calls for a low to reach around 15 degrees overnight, with wind chill values as low as 6. This image was taken outside Red River Radio, at 8675 Youree Drive in Shreveport, looking northward at dusk.

Winter Storm Fern left tens of thousands of people in the dark. Crews are still working to store power to all customers. Now the region is blanketed by an Extreme Cold Warning that's expected to linger into Tuesday.

The entire Red River Radio listening area is now under an extreme cold warning through Tuesday morning, January 27, 2026. That’s the word from the National Weather Service (NWS), which reports dangerously cold temperatures that range from near zero to around 15 degrees. Wind chills vary from -10 degrees to 6 degrees. Emergency officials remind the public that hypothermia and frostbite will occur if unprotected skin is exposed to these temperatures for any length of time.

At the height of the power outages from the winter storm SWEPCO reported 63,000 customers had lost power. That was due in large part to several waves of freezing rain. By this Sunday evening, January 25, 2026, the number of SWEPCO outages in Louisiana had dwindled to just a few thousand customers. But work crews were still working to restore power to tens of thousands of Cleco, Entergy and Claiborne Electric Co-Op customers who were still without power in the region long after the storm had passed.
As for Arkansas, as of 10:06 p.m. Sunday, 748 customers remained without power, including the counties of: 431 in Miller, 223 in Pulaski, 70 in Sevier, 8 in Benton, 5 in Hempstead..., according to PowerOutage.com.
The Caddo and Bossier Parish School Districts announced that classes are cancelled both Monday and Tuesday. And the Nacogdoches, Texas Independent School District (ISD) also announced schools would be closed Monday, as well. LSU Shreveport and Centenary College are also closed. Check your local school district and colleges for any updates.

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux speaks on Facebook & YouTube to Shreveport citizens about the winter storm, power outages, street conditions, giving cautionary advice to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary, and announcing city offices would be closed on Monday, January 26, 2026. The mayor also helped dispel any confusion people expressed about local hospitals, informing the public that all the hospitals do have full power, none are on back up power. Arceneaux also informed people to call the city at (318) 673-7600 for any water/sewer problems or concerns.

The city of Shreveport announced all city offices will be closed Monday. In fact, that was just one of the many messages delivered by Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux during a Sunday afternoon briefing on Facebook and YouTube. Arceneaux’s number one message was please stay home if you can. “The roads are really not passable. You may be able to drive on them. But it is really important that you stay put; that you not try and get out unless it’s an absolute emergency. And if you do, make sure that you are driving carefully, that you’re driving slowly. The chances are, you’re driving on ice, not on pavement.”
Mayor Arceneaux says the city of Shreveport does have two snow plows, which are reserved for major roads. All Caddo Parish offices are closed on Monday and Tuesday, as well.