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NATCHEZ — The National Weather Service in Jackson has issued a wind chill advisory for the Natchez area, which goes into effect at 9 p.m. on Thursday and continues until noon on Friday.

“It looks as of right now that Natchez could have wind gusts from 25 to 30 miles and hour, and with those high gusts, it could drop wind chill temperatures as low as five to 10 below zero,” said Janae Elkins, a meteorologist at work at the NWS office in Jackson.

The good news is meteorologists do not forecast rain in Natchez Thursday night.

“As of right now, we are not expecting any precipitation across the Natchez area, but we could see possible freezing rain along the Highway 82, which runs north of Natchez through Clay and Montgomery County in the northern Delta, from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday,” Elkins said.

She said no precipitation is expected in the Natchez area on Friday, either, but residents will have to deal with dangerous cold temperatures and wind chills.

“This Artic air mass is here to stay of the ArkLaMiss for several days. It will be pretty cold throughout the holiday weekend,” Elkins said.

Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford said the Adams County Safe Room would open at 5 p.m. on Thursday and be available through the day on Monday as a warming station for anyone seeking shelter from the cold temperatures. Residents are asked to bring any food or medication they may need. Also, residents are allowed to bring a small pet, as long as the pet remains in a kennel.