Winter storm breaks 121-year record on the Mississippi Coast for cold temperature
It’s not every Mardi Gras morning that the Coast wakes up to icicles and frozen puddles.
Winter Storm Uri, which brought snow and ice to much of the northern half of Mississippi, also set record temperature lows for the date of Feb. 16 on the Coast on Tuesday morning.
The temperature dropped to 22 degrees at both Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi and the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Gulfport.
“That breaks the old record of 24 that was established in 1900,” said Phil Grigsby, who is the lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Slidell, Louisiana. “Those are from our records dating back to 1893, so that record was 121 years old.”
The temperature was expected to creep back above freezing on Tuesday with a high of 41 before dropping back to 32 degrees by 11 p.m.
By Wednesday, residents of South Mississippi should expect a significant change in the weather.
“It’s going to be pretty interesting,” Grigsby said. “It’s going to get down to the upper 20s Wednesday morning, but then a warm front will come through the area.
“By the time sunrise rolls around, we should be right around freezing. But we’re expecting a high of close to 60 by tomorrow afternoon.
“It brings a risk of severe weather by late afternoon and evening. It’ll be quite the change from a record low to a severe weather scenario.”
The chance of rain on Wednesday night is more than 90% with winds of about 17 miles per hour. Some storms could be severe with hail and tornadoes possible.
More cold temperatures are forecast to follow the storm front, with lows again below freezing Thursday and Friday.
Mississippi Coast forecast
Wednesday
Showers likely after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Wednesday Night
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 45. East wind 5 to 15 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Thursday
Showers likely, mainly before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 54. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 48. North wind around 10 mph.
Friday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 30. North wind around 5 mph becoming northeast after midnight.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 55. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 42. Southeast wind around 5 mph.
Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph.
Sunday Night
A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest after midnight.
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 10:55 AM.
