Chance of snow decreases as cold front nears South MS. See the latest forecast
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- Cold front will bring subfreezing nights starting Sunday, limiting snow chance.
- National Weather Service says moisture departs before freeze; flurries possible.
- Temperatures may hit upper 20s to low 30s for several nights; protect plants.
A cold front invading the Mississippi Coast this weekend will plunge temperatures below freezing for several nights but will arrive too late to transform precipitation into true snowfall, the National Weather Service said.
Still, there is a low chance of flurries.
“But we aren’t expecting any accumulation,” said Phil Grigsby, a forecaster at the National Weather Service in Slidell. “It’s just going to be so, so light.”
Forecasters earlier this week raised the possibility that snow could fall in southern Mississippi for the first time since a historic storm blanketed the region last January.
But on Friday, as the forecast grew more precise, the National Weather Service said the freezing temperatures will arrive after most of the moisture has left the region.
“It just didn’t quite time out right,” Grigsby said.
Cold is the biggest concern. Forecasters say temperatures could hit the upper 20s and lower 30s three nights in a row starting Sunday.
The freeze could last 3 to 4 hours Saturday night through Sunday morning and 6 to 10 hours Sunday and Monday nights. It is not expected to cause problems for pipes. But meteorologists are urging residents to protect plants and outdoor pets and keep space heaters away from curtains and furniture to reduce fire risk.
There is a 20 to 30 percent chance of flurries early Sunday in South Mississippi, according to Grigsby. The moisture is shifting east as the cold air moves in, and the chance of flurries increases east of Gulfport. Any flakes would likely fall between midnight and 6 a.m.
Daytime temperatures will reach the 50s. Any flurries will melt fast, Grigsby said, and “won’t have any big impacts for the area.”