Black ice is expected in South MS. Residents are urged to stay off roads following storm
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Bridges were closed Tuesday morning across South Mississippi, with the potential for black ice as conditions continue to deteriorate during the Gulf region’s first snow storm in decades.
“The public needs to understand that almost every road in the counties and cities is affected now,” said Matt Stratton, emergency management director for Harrison County. “People need to go to a safe location.”
County Road Manager Tim Smith said road conditions will only grow worse. He expects black ice will coat surfaces on some roads this afternoon.
Smith was seeing wet areas on the roads Tuesday morning. He expects those areas to freeze over.
Roads could ice in snow storm
“We’re probably going to see later on this afternoon the black ice, the freezing of the roads,” he said, urging people to retreat or stay indoors.
Conditions will only deteriorate as the day progresses, he said. Crews are trying to keep roads open for emergencies and other unavoidable travel.
Smith said county crews are salting bridges in Harrison County, then will start thawing roads with salt. He said the county is focusing manpower where it can do the most good.
Metal drawbridges, such as the Popp’s Ferry Bridge in Biloxi and the Fort Bayou Bridge in Ocean Springs are closed because keeping them open would take too much manpower, Smith said. Salt falls through the metal draws on those bridges.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation was sending snowplows Tuesday morning, and planning to salt state bridges and roads.
This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 10:53 AM.
