The freezing conditions are keeping some people at home, but in downtown New Orleans, a few locals and some tourists are still going about their daily routines despite the cold temperatures.
"I came up here for Christmas," said Corpus Christi, Texas, resident Jackie Fenner. She ventured out into the cold this morning to walk her puppy Emily. She said she wasn't prepared for the cold when she arrived.
"I just brought a jacket and a beanie, honestly," Fenner said. "When I left Corpus, it was 78 degrees. I wasn't planning for this. I knew it was going to be cold. I didn't know it was going to be this cold."
Fenner said she's going to buy cold-weather clothes for herself and for Emily later today. Those clothes, she said, will stay here in New Orleans when she goes home.
"I'll donate them to somebody around here," Fenner said. "I have plenty of jackets and stuff back home."
Another out-of-towner walking his dog was prepared for the cold snap.
"I like it personally," said Eric Cho, who, along with his eight-year-old German Shepherd Lash, is visiting from Houston. "I'm a big fan of cold weather. We did look at the weather ahead of time. We had everything packed and ready to go, but we weren't sure how cold it was really going to feel."
Cho said Lash appeared to have no problems with the chilly conditions.
"She seems to love it," Cho said. "She seems to be revitalized by the cold weather."
Eric Cho and his eight-year-old German Shepherd Lash were among the handful of people and pups walking down South Peters Street Friday morning. They're in town from Houston, and Cho says he was prepared for the freezing temperatures.
New Orleans resident Kelly Manship said she thought it would be colder downtown than it was Friday morning.
It's a little warmer--or maybe I'm dressed appropriately--than it was supposed to be," said Manship, who added she was wearing three layers of clothing.
Manship was walking her puppy, Girlfriend, along South Peters Street. Girlfriend was wearing a Christmas sweater.
Manship said she planned their route to maximize their warmth.
"As long as the sun's out, it's not bad. We picked the sunny sides of the street, and we avoid the windy ones."
Manship has this advice for anyone else considering venturing out during the Arctic blast.
"Layer up. That's the best advice I can give."
