Citing high wind speeds expected this evening, officials with Denton County have changed plans to begin aerial spraying for the West Nile virus tonight.

"Winds for this evening are expected to gust above 20 mph and remain above the threshold for much of the scheduled spraying time," Emergency Management Officer Jamie Moore said in a letter to participating cities. "For maximum effectiveness and accuracy, winds need to remain below 10 mph and consistent."

Plan B is to adjust the spraying schedule by a day with the expectation that winds will die down, so Southlake and Westlake residents will want to stay inside between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights to avoid the insecticide.

Westlake and Southlake, much of which sits in Tarrant County, became eligible for the aerial spraying after Denton County Judge Mary signed a disaster delcaration last week. Both cities' councils approved the measure Monday night in step with a majority of Denton County cities, including Aubrey, Copper Canyon, Corral City, Crossroads, Dish, Double Oak, Flower Mound, Hackberry, Hickory Creek, Justin, Krugerville, Krum, Lake Dallas, Lakewood Village, Lewisville, Lincoln Park, Northlake, Oak Point, Pilot Point, Ponder, Providence Village, Sanger, Shady Shores and Trophy Club.

Duet, the insecticide used in aerial spraying, has already been used in neighboring Dallas County, where several communities — for the first time since the 1960s — opted in to aerial spraying in recent weeks. The insecticide is similar to the one employed in ground spraying and has been declared safe for humans and pets by the Centers for Disease Control.

County officials have said that residents of neighboring cities may see the insecticide planes flying overhead this weekend, but do not need to be concerned about going inside if their city is not being sprayed.

For latest from Denton County on West Nile virus, visit https://dentoncounty.com/heart/wnv.