WEATHER: Winter storm expected Sunday night, Monday

Published 11:43 am Saturday, February 13, 2021

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NATCHEZ — A winter storm is expected to move through Mississippi and parts of Louisiana Sunday and Monday, with temperatures falling well below freezing.

The coldest weather in Natchez is expected to arrive Monday night when the temperature could fall into the lower teens, said Alan Campbell of the Jackson National Weather Service Saturday Morning.

On Tuesday morning, the temperature is expected to be as low as 12 degrees, Campbell said.

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Just north of Natchez in Vicksburg, temperatures are expected to be in the single digits with wind chills below zero degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

“Stay off of the roads as much as possible due to the icy roadways,” Adams County Emergency Management Liaison Officer Neifa Hardy said in a community CodeRED alert Saturday morning.

Supermarket Operations, which runs the Natchez and Vidalia Markets, announced Saturday that store hours have been reduced to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday due to the inclement weather.

“Out of concern for our employees and customers, we are adjusting our store hours for the next few days,” the chain announced in an email Saturday. “Please note that these hours may change due to power outages or other unforeseen complications! Hopefully, we will be able to resume normal hours of operation by Thursday.”

Campbell said Adams County can expect mostly normal and cold conditions through Saturday and light freezing rain on Sunday morning.

“Sunday highs are not too far above freezing, between 33 and 34 degrees and lows are in the low to mid-20s for Sunday night,” Campbell said. “The main impact is from Monday morning throughout most of the day with the primary threat being sleet and freezing rain.”

Campbell said there could be up to 1/4 inch of ice, especially on elevated roads such as bridges and overpasses that will “severely deteriorate travel conditions across the area.”

Frozen water on tree limbs and power lines may also cause sporadic power outages across the area, Campbell said.

Adams County Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford said it would be a good idea to cover pipes that may be susceptible to bursting and make sure you have enough food, blankets, fuel for heating units and household necessities to last for 72 hours to help avoid unnecessary travel.

Also, check on elderly or disabled loved ones and make sure they have plenty of medicine, Bradford said.

Bring pets inside and have a plan to shelter large outside animals — the cold could be detrimental to them as well, he said.

“We will have a briefing (Sunday) for the weather that is expected to be here Monday, Tuesday and possibly Wednesday,” Bradford said. “We will talk about our plan for power outages and opening up the Safe Room and things of that nature. Right now, we have ice accumulating on bridges so we just want to get the word out to avoid being on the road as much as possible.”