Winter weather is on its way to Natchez and the community should prepare, said Adams County Civil Defense Director George Souderes. In an alert faxed to more than 200 emergency and community agencies Tuesday afternoon, Souderes said a severe winter storm system is approaching Mississippi from the northwest.

&uot;It’s an upper level disturbance that will draw moisture from the Gulf of Mexico,&uot; Souderes said. &uot;We’re going to see a mixed bag of freezing stuff.&uot;

Around 2 or 3 a.m. Thursday, weather services say Natchez should see freezing rain and sleet with temperatures in the teens tonight.

The ground will be cold when the moisture arrives, making travel hazardous, he said.

&uot;People need to be on the lookout for ice on roads and bridges, especially getting up and going to work Thursday morning,&uot; Souderes said.

Natchez Police Chief Willie Huff is alerting the state highway department and city public works department to prepare an abrasive substance to put down on sleet slicked roads later in the week. &uot;We’re in hopes that we can get propositioned with sand or whatever abrasive they want to put on the roads and get it out there so we don’t have the roads closed too long,&uot; Huff said.

The winter system could wrap back around on Saturday to pay Natchez a second visit, Souderes said.

Souderes said people should be attentive to news bulletins on severe weather. &uot;Weather can get nasty in a hurry, and people should take extreme caution in traveling,&uot; he said. &uot;If you don’t have to go somewhere, don’t.&uot;

If ice should bring down power lines, residents should have plans for an auxiliary heat source.

&uot;Locate your winter gear and make sure you have enough food for a few days,&uot; Souderes said.

Decisions on possible school closings will be delayed until the severity of the storm is known, Souderes said.

The National Weather Service in Jackson cautioned in a bulletin released late Tuesday that &uot;there is still some uncertainty about exactly how this situation will evolve.&uot;

The weather service expects snow to arrive in north Mississippi late Wednesday night.

South Mississippi and east central Louisiana may see rain with mixed freezing rain or sleet.