For the second time this winter, a blast of arctic air and precipitation closed schools and made travel difficult around Marion County.
Area schools dismissed early Tuesday ahead of dropping temperatures and the threat of snow. As darkness fell, that threat materialized, bringing heavy snow, gusting winds and temperatures nearing single digits.
And the difference between this and the 6 inches of snow that fell Dec. 8 was that this time it turned to ice overnight. Cars slid off roadways left and right throughout South Mississippi Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
The system packed much less punch than December’s storm which brought a record six inches of snow to the area, according to Marion County Emergency Management Director Aaron Greer.
“In Columbia, we officially received about 1.4 inches,” he said. “It varied and was higher throughout the county.”
In Columbia, accidents on North Main Street and U.S. 98 kept Columbia Police Department officers and firefighters busy. On Mississippi 35 South, first responders and sheriff’s deputies covered multiple wrecks.
“We’ve had a lot of calls over the past 48 hours,” Marion County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jamie Singley said. “We had around 70 calls, that’s total calls, but most of those involved wrecks or assists.”
In Columbia, Church Street was shut down between Calvary Baptist Church and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church twice. The first time was Wednesday morning after an accident on the hill between the two churches. The road was closed for several hours and then reopened in the afternoon.
As the sun set and water refroze, the Columbia Fire Department placed barricades on the street that kept it closed into Thursday morning following another accident where a vehicle ended up in a front yard.
Police Chief Mike Cooper said the city did not have near the number of accident calls as the sheriff’s office or Mississippi Highway Patrol.
“We had several calls, but we didn’t have an overabundance,” he said. “Most people stayed off the roads and listened to the warnings for a change.”
Across the state, drivers did not fare as well. According to Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Capt. Johnny Poulos, troopers responded to 236 crashes in the 48-hour period that included the storm, plus 605 calls for assistance because of sliding off the road, stranded motorists or disabled cars.
In Marion County, the Mississippi Department of Transportation closed the new Mississippi 44 bridge which connects Mississippi 13 North in Goss with Mississippi 587 near Morgantown for nearly two days.
But roads and bridges weren’t all that was affected. Mayor Justin McKenzie said officials worked to make sure the city’s water and sewer systems had a constant flow.
“(Water Supervisor) Michael (McDaniel) came in and shifted things to a backup system so there would be no loss of water. So far, we’ve had no major water and sewer issues,” McKenzie said. “We did have several homes that had frozen pipes and problems and the water department shut the water off at their request so things could be repaired.”
Street Department crews were also out during the icy weather.
“We put out some sand in some areas,” the mayor said. “We offered some sand to businesses that had to stay open, like the dialysis center. We sanded intersections to prevent people from sliding through them and we sanded some inclines. We fared pretty well through it. We’re not equipped to handle the snow and ice like this because we don’t see it every year.”
McKenzie said as warmer weather approaches, crews and contractors will be able to begin projects.
“We hope to begin the $174,000 paving project when the weather permits,” he said. “The snow and ice have prevented it from getting done. We also intend to get back to other street repairs and patching as the weather permits.”
Pictured Above: Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Hunter Forbes checks a vehicle in the median of U.S. 98 Wednesday morning in Columbia. Drivers struggled with snow and ice following a storm Tuesday evening and frigid temperatures. | Photo by Mark Rogers
