Rare winter storm is burying the Mississippi Coast. How much longer will it keep snowing?

The snow will not stop for hours.

A winter storm that gusted into the Mississippi Coast Tuesday morning started dropping sleet and snow at dawn. It has prompted elevated roads and bridges to close and made driving dangerous across the region. Officials are warning that black ice could form later on Tuesday.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Slidell said it is hard to pinpoint an exact time when the snow will stop, but they expect it to end later Tuesday afternoon or early Tuesday evening.

The storm is moving from the west, so snow could stop sooner in Hancock County as it clears the region. But it will probably stick around Wednesday because temperatures will stay below freezing. Forecasters and officials are still urging drivers to be cautious or avoid traveling altogether.

“Overnight, it’ll be out of here,” said Lauren Nash, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service. “But it won’t be off the roads and grounds. The snow will stop, but it doesn’t mean the roads are going to be OK to drive in.”

This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 12:48 PM.