NATCHEZ — Miss-Lou residents should prepare for a blast of freezing weather expected to hit the area today and stick around for a couple of days.

Natchez Weather Service in Jackson meteorologist Steve Wilkinson said today will be warm  at 57 until approximately 2 or 3 p.m. when temperatures will begin to drop rapidly.

“It will be windy Sunday night and into Monday morning, and by Monday morning, it will be about 19 degrees,” Wilkinson said. “With the wind chill during that time, it will feel about 10 (degrees).”

Monday will be sunny, Wilkinson said, but the high will only be about 34 degrees.

“You’ll just barely be cracking the freezing mark,” he said. “It will remain windy pretty much all day, so with the wind chill, the highest it will feel is about 20 (degrees).”

Monday night will be the coldest night during the cold front, Wilkinson said, with temperatures dipping down to 14 degrees by early Tuesday morning.

Temperatures will gradually warm up Tuesday, with the high around 37 and a low around 20 degrees, Wilkinson said.

“The wind should be pretty light by then, too,” he said. “You’re not looking at much wind at all.

Wednesday’s high will be around 52 as the freezing weather begins to clear out.

“You’re looking at about 48 to 64 hours of really cold weather, so if you stay bundled up during then, you should be OK,” Wilkinson said.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency warns that motorists should check antifreeze levels, batteries, lights, brakes and heaters and keep at least half a tank of fuel in their vehicles.

The freezing temperatures expected in the area are part of a large area of very cold air that, according to meteorologists, forms over the North Pole or polar regions. The cold usually stays in Canada, but this time will make its way into the eastern United States, potentially bringing record-low temperatures.