NATCHEZ — Before the sun rose Friday morning, early risers peered out their windows to see a beautiful, light blanket of snow covering the landscape.

By 6:30 a.m., approximately 3 inches of snow appeared to have fallen across parts of the area with snow still falling.

Area school officials rushed to cancel schools.

Click here for a list of known school closures.

The National Weather Service put the area under a winter storm warning until noon and forecasters suggested total daytime snow accumulation could be up to 3 inches in some areas.

Police and highway officials warn motorists to not travel unless absolutely necessary as roads could be slick in areas, particularly overpasses and bridges.

The Mississippi River Bridge on U.S. 84/98 remained open early Friday.

Today’s high temperature is expected to reach 40 degrees, but temperatures are forecast to plummet Friday night and Saturday morning with a low temperature expected to be approximately 24 degrees.