10:25 a.m.

The majority of roads and streets in Meridian are clear of ice and passable. County roads also are passable but officials say motorists should always exercise caution whenever driving today and Tuesday. Tonight some patches of ice may appear on roadways as temperatures drop below freezing.

5 a.m.

Sporadic power outages reported throughout the night as the winter weather storm passed through East Mississippi. It appears most of the sleet/freezing rain ended shortly before midnight. Many roadways are covered in ice and too dangerous for travel, especially in rural areas.

Read what your neighbors experienced by joining our online community at facebook.com/meridianstar.

7:21 p.m.

Rain is falling predominantly in southern Lauderdale County. The temp is 30 degrees with a nine mph northeast wind that places the wind chill factor at 22 degrees.

5:20 p.m.

EMEPA spokesperson Julie Walker said they have about 40 personnel along with all available equipment on standby to respond to any power outages. She said although there have not been any reports yet of electricity service being disrupted because of the weather, EMEPA has increased the number of dispatchers to answer all the calls. Walker said EMEPA officials have been advised the worse part of the winter storm will likely be sometime later tonight. EMEPA serves about 17,000 customers in Lauderdale County along with other residents in Clarke, Kemper and Winston counties.

4:15 p.m.

Lauderdale County Fire Service Coordinator Allan Dover said for everyone to stay at home tonight as this will be the time forecasters believe the weather will turn really nasty. He said also for people to monitor all heat sources they may have in the event they lose electricity. Any open flames such as from fireplaces should not be left unattended and be wary of anything that may cause carbon monoxide fumes. Generators go on the outside of the home, Dover said.

3:38 p.m.

School officials have confirmed that MSU-Meridian and East Mississippi Community College will be closed tomorrow due to winter weather conditions.

1:25 p.m.

Meridian Public School District Superintendent Randy McCoy said it will be later this afternoon or tonight before they decide if school will be closed tomorrow due to the winter weather storm. School officials will be briefed by emergency management officials after their 1:30 p.m. briefing from the National Weather Service.

1:15 p.m.

LEMA Director David Sharp said that most of the elevated bridges on the Interstate are iced over, and that will likely get worse as the day progresses.

12:45 p.m

The Weather Channel reporting ice accumulation on power lines and trees in Bosier City and Shreveport. Also, cars slipping off the roads in the Delta around Greenville. The low pressure system is still situated over Dallas and is dropping snow there. All of this will be heading east along the I-20 corridor. An official with the Meridian Homeland Security said Hwy. 45 between Quitman and Meridian is still in good shape but light to moderate freezing rain/sleet is falling.

11:45 a.m.

In south Meridian, there’s no ice on the ground or roads yet, but freezing rain has caused ice to accumulate on windsheilds, patio tables, and other objects. If you haven’t brought your plants indoors yet, now would be a good time to do it.

11:00 a.m.

John Baxter, with the National Weather Service in Meridian, just reported freezing rain beginning to fall in Meridian sticking to cars, hand rails but not on the roads yet. He said the bridges and overpasses this afternoon will begin to become slippery. He said our area is expecting about a half inch of ice and up to four inches of snow.

 

9:50 a.m.

From the National Weather Service:

Issued by The National Weather Service

Jackson, MS

9:39 am CST, Sun., Jan. 9, 2011

… TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI AND NORTHEAST LOUISIANA THIS MORNING…

… CONDITIONS BEGINNING TO DETERIORATE ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS AND NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI…

AT 930 AM CST… NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A BAND OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN… MIXED WITH SNOW… EXTENDING FROM NEAR BASTROP LOUISIANA AND CROSSETT ARKANSAS… TO NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE JACKSON METRO AREA… TO JUST WEST OF MERIDIAN. THIS BAND WAS LIFTING SLOWLY NORTH.

ROAD CONDITIONS ARE REPORTED AS HAZARDOUS FROM THE JACKSON METRO AREA WEST ACROSS VICKSBURG INTO NORTHEAST LOUISIANA. NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED… AND IN VICKSBURG STREETS WERE REPORTED AS BEING ICY ALONG WITH BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES BEING HAZARDOUS. THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR WILL SEE A BREAK IN THE WINTRY PRECIPITATION LATE THIS MORNING AND EARLY THIS AFTERNOON… AND TRAVEL CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE SOMEWHAT BY MIDDAY. HOWEVER… MORE WINTRY PRECIPITATION SHOULD MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE AGAIN.

FARTHER NORTH OVER EXTREME NORTHEAST LOUISIANA… SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS… AND MISSISSIPPI FROM JUST NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR TO THE HIGHWAY 82 CORRIDOR… THE BAND OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY BECOME NEARLY STATIONARY INTO THIS AFTERNOON. THIS WILL RESULT IN PERSISTENT SLEET… SNOW AND SOME FREEZING RAIN FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. ROAD CONDITIONS WILL BECOME EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. THIS INCLUDES THE GREENVILLE… GREENWOOD… KOSCIUSKO… AND YAZOO CITY AREAS.

OVER SOUTH MISSISSIPPI… TEMPERATURES ARE CURRENTLY ABOVE FREEZING AND ANY PRECIPITATION IS VERY LIGHT. GUSTY EAST WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY… AND THIS COULD CAUSE A FEW DOWNED LIMBS AND TREES. WINTRY PRECIPITATION COULD BECOME A CONCERN AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON.

9:45 am.

More reports coming in of sleet in East Mississippi. Also, local emergency officials will launch their emergency operations center at the Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency in a few minutes at 10 a.m.

We will bring you reports throughout the day on power outages and weather conditions.

 

9:30 a.m.

John Baxter of the National Weather Service says light sleet and freezing rain is beginning to fall in East Mississippi.

Conditions are expected to worsen throughout the day and night as the area is under a winter weather warning.

We will update the latest information as we get it. Also, follow our Facebook reports at facebook.com/meridianstar.