‘Stay off the roads!’ weather service warns, as black ice reported on South MS roadways
Residents are being warned to stay off South Mississippi roads Wednesday because snow and ice are lingering in below-freezing temperatures.
Black ice, a thin coating of slick ice on roads, can send vehicles careening. “Stay off the roads!” the home page of the National Weather Service for the area warned Wednesday. The Mississippi Department of Transportation cautioned on Facebook that roads are dangerous from Hattiesburg south, with reports of black ice on roads and bridges. Black ice is so-named because it is transparent and can be hard to see.
MDOT has deployed 17 snowplows in southeastern Mississippi, most of them in the Coast counties, said public information officer Anna Ehrgott.
“As temperatures rise and the sun helps melt ice today, crews will be out plowing and applying salt and slag to help clear roadways,” Ehrgott said. “We still recommend emergency travel only until conditions improve.”
Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing much of Wednesday. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 34 degrees Wednesday, meaning snow and ice will linger into Thursday, when meteorologists expect a big thaw.
Emergency response times slowed
Thursday should be sunny, with temperatures climbing into the mid-40s, the weather service says.
Meanwhile, several major bridges remained closed Wednesday morning, including the Biloxi Bay Bridge that connects Ocean Springs and Biloxi, the Popp’s Ferry drawbridge in Biloxi and the Fort Bayou drawbridge on Washington Avenue in Ocean Springs. Interstate 110 South of Bayview Avenue in Biloxi also remains closed, MDOT says.
Dangerous roadways will slow response times for emergency vehicles, Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan said.
“The fewer calls we have with all these issues, the better off everybody is,” Sullivan said. He said that he had heard anecdotally about people falling when they ventured outside and warned residents to be careful.
But, Sullivan added, emergency managers typically staff extra crew members and equipment in these situations.
While the Coast is not accustomed to snow, hurricanes and hurricane preparedness are ingrained.
“Basically,” he said, “we’re treating this in the same manner we do hurricanes.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 11:07 AM.
