Associated Press
AP
JACKSON —
An ice storm in north Mississippi caused power outages, car wrecks and school closings on Tuesday as ice accumulated on roads, bridges, trees and power lines.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said Tuesday that the storm was blamed for numerous accidents across north Mississippi and warned motorists to stay off the roads if they could avoid travel.
Numerous public schools in north Mississippi and the University of Mississippi were closed Tuesday because of the storms.
An ice storm warning was effect until Wednesday morning for parts of northern Mississippi. That area included the cities of Clarksdale, Corinth, Oxford and Tunica.
Other parts of the Mississippi Delta were under an ice storm warning that was set to expire Tuesday at 6 p.m., but it was possible that it could be extended, said Daniel Lamb, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson.
Ice wasn’t the only threat. Thunderstorms brought heavy rain to places where rivers and creeks were already swollen.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said a “few homes” flooded in Leflore County.
There were multiple car wrecks in Tate County and a few roads were closed in Lowndes County due to flooding, MEMA said in a news release.
More than three dozen counties were under flood warnings or flash flood watches on Tuesday, including counties in central and southern Mississippi. A dense fog advisory was in effect for the state’s three coastal counties.
Mississippi Department of Transportation officials said crews were treating bridges for icing.
Late Monday night, Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency in several counties. Bryant’s office said at least 45 counties had reported being affected by the storms.
