Schools across the region were closed, about 3,000 homes in Marion County were without power Friday as heavy snow fell across South Mississippi.
In Marion County, by 11 a.m., many areas had received at least three inches of the white stuff, with some areas expected to have six inches.
Firefighters around the county were busy with downed limbs and lines and even a structure fire. Volunteers from Pine Burr, South Marion and Foxworth battled a blaze at a residence on Mississippi 43 from about 2:30 a.m. until nearly 5 a.m.
In Columbia, the Columbia Fire Department had to close Church Street for several hours after a limb falling on wires sparked a transformer fire. Crews from Mississippi Power worked in the snow and sleet to make repairs.
Across the county, crews from Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association worked to restore power to customers who had lost it during the snow storm.
“Overall, throughout our service area, we have about 6,000 customers without power,” PRVEPA spokesman Kurt Brautigam said shortly after 11 a.m. “About half of the outages are in Marion County. All of our Columbia crews are out working and we have crews on the way from Wiggins to assist.”
No major accidents had been reported, however many vehicles were reported off in ditches along highways and county roads.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation has been working to place salt and slag on bridges along state and federal highways.
Ice has been reported in the following counties: Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Pike, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Walthall, Warren, Wayne, Wilkinson and Winston.
The public is encouraged to limit travel only in case of emergency in the affected areas. MDOT also encourages the traveling public to pay close attention to weather and travel advisories issued by the National Weather Service, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Mississippi Highway Patrol and local law enforcement.
MDOT does not anticipate any road or bridge closures due to winter weather at this time; however, motorists should use extreme caution when traveling through the affected counties.
MDOT’s number one priority is the safety of the traveling public, and using safe driving techniques is one way to ensure you “survive your drive” during winter weather. MDOT offers these safe driving tips:
- buckle up for safety;
- slow down, especially when driving in winter weather conditions;
- allow more space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you;
- brake early to allow plenty of time to stop;
- brake gently to avoid skidding and never slam on the brakes;
- turn on lights to be more visible to other motorists;
- do not use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads;
- stay alert and look farther ahead in traffic than you normally do; and
- drive safely.
The snow is expected to turn into a wintry mix around 1 p.m. with precipitation expected to end around 5 p.m.
Pictured Above: Motorists and pedestrians make their way through downtown early Friday morning. | Photo by Mark Rogers
