More cold weather nears South MS. Here’s where freezing rain chances are highest
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- National Weather Service forecasts Saturday-night freezing rain from north MS to McComb.
- Forecasters cite greatest ice risk on elevated roads and bridges, causing travel hazards.
- Officials warn possible outages in northern and central Mississippi from ice.
Another round of winter could invade Mississippi this weekend with freezing rain that ices roads and disrupts travel across much of the state.
After several days of frigid mornings that reached as far south as the Coast, forecasters are warning that ice could coat elevated roads and bridges from the northern half of the state to McComb.
The forecast is still uncertain. But the National Weather Service said Tuesday that the freezing rain would probably not reach the coastal counties. Still, anyone traveling to Jackson, Meridian or Starkville could encounter slick conditions.
“That’s where you’re going to see the bigger ice accumulation,” said Phil Grigsby, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Slidell.
The freezing rain is expected to fall Saturday night and is part of a winter storm sweeping across the country.
Overnight lows this weekend from Hattiesburg to the Coast are expected to fall in the mid to upper 30s, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures must drop to below 32 degrees to create freezing rain.
Forecasters are urging residents in South Mississippi to monitor the forecast because predictions could change if the cold air arrives faster or slower throughout the week.
The biggest risk of ice is on elevated roads and bridges. The National Weather Service is also warning of possible power outages that could occur in northern and central Mississippi if ice weighs down tree branches and causes them to fall onto power lines.