South MS under extreme cold warning, with another freeze on the way. See forecast
A rush of air from the Arctic froze South Mississippi this week with swirling winds and bitter temperatures that forecasters warned could endure through Sunday.
The winter blast plummeted temperatures to between 20 and 30 degrees on Monday near Gulfport and Biloxi, with strong gusts that created dangerous wind chills. But forecasters said Tuesday could be even colder, and an extreme cold warning is in effect until noon.
The freeze follows a huge winter storm this week that blanketed states from New Mexico to Maine and battered northern Mississippi with ice and snow. Frozen tree branches cracked and downed power lines, leaving thousands between Oxford and Natchez in the dark.
“We will get through this,” Gov. Tate Reeves said at a news conference Monday afternoon. “But this is going to take time.”
Weekend freeze will chill MS Coast
Forecasters warned temperatures would plummet again early Tuesday to the upper teens and low 20s across the Mississippi Coast, with even colder air in Saucier, Wiggins and Pearl River County.
Tuesday afternoon highs could reach 50 degrees, and forecasters expect a light freeze Tuesday and Wednesday nights. No freeze is expected Thursday night. But another strong cold front will arrive on Friday.
Temperatures will reach the upper teens and low 20s Friday night through Saturday morning. Phil Grigsby, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Slidell, said strong breezes could drop the wind chill to 8 or 9 degrees across the Mississippi Coast.
“It’s going to be a really, really cold night,” he said.
The Coast, he added, will “be lucky to reach the upper 30s” during the day on Saturday. And it will freeze again Saturday night through Sunday morning and Sunday night through Monday morning.
MS responds to ‘exceptional’ weather
The freeze is forcing the region to cope. Forecasters are urging residents to dress in layers, cover pipes, drip faucets and be cautious with space heaters to avoid fire hazards. Dozens of schools closed or delayed start times on Monday, including several in South Mississippi.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency also announced last weekend that President Donald Trump had approved disaster declarations to unlock federal recovery help for 12 states, including Mississippi. Reeves said Monday that he would deploy 500 members of the Mississippi National Guard to help recovery efforts across the state.
The Mississippi Coast often freezes a few times each winter. But forecasters called the latest temperatures unusual. Average highs in late January are in the low 60s, Grigsby said, with lows in the 40s. Two Arctic blasts in a row are also uncommon.
“This is actually pretty exceptional,” Grigsby said on Monday. “We’re going to be running a good 25 to 30 degrees below average.”