JACKSON, Miss.–The winter weather was not as bad as forecasters originally thought, but some school districts decided to shut the doors for Tuesday anyway, with some ice on roads and bridges. There was the possibility of another round of ice, sleet and snow Tuesday.
Ice was being reported on bridges, roads and trees in the north half of the state, but south of Yazoo City it was generally just rain falling Monday night and early Tuesday.
“We have been getting some reports of iced over bridges, especially around Oktibbeha County, Winston County, Grenada County,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Dan Byrd. “We have been getting some reports of icing up to about a tenth of an inch in those areas. Not quite as bad as we thought, but still quite a bit of icing going on in those northern areas.”
From the MDOT website:
Ice has been detected on roadways and bridges in Clay Panola, Leflore, Lafayette, Holmes, Oktibbeha, Lowndes, Itawamba, Union, Lee, Pontotoc, Webster, Yalobusha, Montgomery, Carroll, Calhoun, Humphreys, Monroe, Tunica, Tate, Marshall, Alcorn, Tishomingo, Chickasaw, Tallahatchie, Coahoma, Bolivar and Sunflower Counties. There are currently no road closures at this time.
The public is encouraged to limit travel only in case of emergency in the areas mentioned above. MDOT encourages the traveling public to pay attention to weather and travel advisories issued by the National Weather Service, local law enforcement and the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Byrd said there could be more coming Tuesday night.
“There is some potential for areas along and northwest of the Natchez Trace corridor tonight.”
He said the forecast was for a “mixed bag” of freezing rain, sleet and snow and that you should pay attention to the forecast.
If you have to be out in the morning or night hours, MDOT has these tips for you: buckle up, drive safely, stay alert and slow down, especially where winter weather is happening or has happened.
