Update: Mississippi ice storm winds down; accumulating snow possible early Thursday
Update: Ice storm, flooding prompts state of emergency in Mississippi
A significant ice storm unfolding across the Delta and north-central Mississippi is now expected to continue through Tuesday afternoon.
The National Weather Service expanded and extended the time of the previously issued ice storm warning until 6 p.m. Tuesday for accumulations that could reach a half to three quarters of an inch on trees, power lines and on elevated surfaces.
The warning covers the counties of Bolivar, Carroll, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Montgomery, Sharkey, Sunflower, Washington, Webster and Yazoo.
Ice accumulations of up to around a quarter-inch have already been reported across several counties including in Sunflower, Grenada, Washington, Yazoo, Montgomery, Sharkey, Carroll and Leflore.
These ice accumulations have resulted in numerous reports of downed trees and power lines across these areas.
Outside of the ice storm warning area, freezing rain has been reported coating and or glazing trees and power lines across northern Mississippi and down into central Mississippi around the Jackson metro.
These areas are under either winter weather and or freezing rain advisories for ice accumulations of less than a quarter inch through early Tuesday.
The winter weather advisory covers much of northern Mississippi until 9 a.m. Tuesday including the counties of Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma, De Soto, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union and Yalobusha.
The freezing rain advisory covers the areas of central Mississippi until 9 p.m. Monday including Attala, Choctaw, Clay, Hinds, Leake, Lowndes, Madison, Oktibbeha, Rankin, Warren and Winston.
An upper level disturbance was moving across the state on Monday, with widespread rainfall over central and northern Mississippi, where temperatures have been hovering near to just below freezing.
This disturbance will clear out of the state by Monday evening with yet another upper level disturbance expected to bring additional rainfall and freezing rain on Tuesday for the same areas already impacted.
Temperatures are expected to hold in the in the 30 to 35 degree range through early Tuesday across much of central and northern Mississippi resulting in prolonged hazardous travel conditions.
The next wave of heavier precipitation is expected to redevelop after midnight and continue into Tuesday morning. Temperatures will likely drop a little bit again when this new wave of precip moves in, and expectation is areas in the Ice Storm Warning will see significant freezing rain once again during that time period," the NWS said.
Gov. Phil Bryant along with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the NWS held an emergency conference call Monday afternoon to prepare and respond to the unfolding ice storm.
This is a developing situation and everyone should stay updated on the latest weather information as it becomes available.
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