Update: Last closed big bridge is open in South MS. When will ice, snow clear from roads?
Major roads and bridges had reopened by Wednesday afternoon in South Mississippi’s three coastal counties, but emergency managers are warning of a new threat.
The bright sunshine Wednesday afternoon is melting South Mississippi’s historic snowfall, creating the possibility of black ice on roadways as temperatures dip back below freezing for the night into Thursday morning..
All roads and bridges are now open in South Mississippi’s lower three counties, with the exception of the Interstate 110 loop that westbound traffic on U.S. 90 uses to head north.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Mississippi Department of Transportation snowplowed the Biloxi Bay Bridge connecting Ocean Springs and Biloxi, which was the final major bridge to reopen.
MDOT does not expect tonight’s freeze to lead to any road closings, but local governments can make those decisions based on safety concerns, said public information officer Anna Ehrgott.
The city of Biloxi announced earlier Wednesday afternoon that both the Popp’s Ferry and Cedar Lake Road bridges had reopened, but said exit ramps to U.S. 90 from Interstate 110 remained closed.
The Fort Bayou Bridge on Washington Avenue in Ocean Springs also reopened Wednesday afternoon, a city spokesperson said.
Road crews working in South MS
Temperatures inched above freezing for a brief time Wednesday afternoon but will dip back below 32 degrees before the sun sets, the National Weather Service forecasts, with lows expected to be in the teens again Wednesday night.
All that snow and ice is going to re-freeze, potentially covering some roads and bridges with black ice, which is hard to see, slippery and treacherous.
“We’re going to be looking for that later on because there’s a lot of water on the streets,” said Brian “Hooty” Adam, director of Hancock County’s emergency management agency.
State and local crews have been working to clear roadways. MDOT has deployed 17 snowplows in southeastern Mississippi, with most of them on the Coast.
MDOT reported black ice early Wednesday in some areas south of Hattiesburg.
By Wednesday afternoon, the big thaw had started. “Now it’s going to be a big, muddy wet mess,” Earl Etheridge, Jackson County public safety director, said Wednesday afternoon. “I’m out driving in it, so I know.”
Temperatures dropping again
The National Weather Service has issued a cold weather advisory from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 10 a.m. Thursday for South Mississippi. Temperatures are expected to dip to 20 degrees, with wind chills as low as 13 degrees. Temperatures in the 40s on Thursday are expected to clear the roads of the remaining snow and ice.
Harrison County Road Manager Tim Smith expects roads and bridges that reopened Wednesday should remain open through the night’s freeze. But he advised motorists to drive slow and go easy on the brakes if they must be out.
“Here’s the thing,” Smith said, “If you don’t have to be on these roads, don’t be on them.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 1:09 PM.
