As winter weather, with the possibility of sleet and light snow, threatens East Mississippi, the National Weather Service has some advice for those driving on Friday and what to expect.

The NWS advised drivers to slow down, avoid tailgating and to not use cruise control. Avoiding abrupt acceleration, braking, unnecessary lane changes and keeping a safe distance from other cars will reduce risk.

If a driver starts to skid, the NWS says not to slam on the brakes, to stop pushing the gas pedal and to steer the car in the correct direction. Once the car slows down, the driver will regain control.

The NWS predicted that early morning rain would transition to a wintry mix of sleet, freezing rain and light snow by late morning. This weather would continue into the afternoon along the I-20 corridor. 

Meridian lies in an ‘elevated risk’ zone, meaning that with wind chill the outdoor temperatures could reach as low as -5 degrees. Elevated risk areas could get less than a quarter inch of freezing rain but up to one inch of snow, according to the NWS. 

The storm reached Jackson before 8 a.m., with sleet falling on bridges and roads, according to the NWS Twitter. 

Around 8:20 a.m., the NWS released a short update for the “rare wintry morning across the area.”

The NWS said that light snow had been reported in the Northwest Delta region and freezing rain north of Meridian. They predicted that these conditions would drift south as the day continued.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is reporting ice on roads and bridges in several counties in north and central Mississippi. MDOT first responders began pretreating roads and bridges yesterday and are currently working to keep them passable, but motorists should use extreme caution when traveling through the affected counties.

At 10 a.m. Friday morning, MDOT reported ice in the following counties: Alcorn, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clay, Copiah, DeSoto, Grenada, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Leflore, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Newton, Oktibbeha, Panola, Prentiss, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Warren, Washington, Webster, Winston and Yazoo.

The public is encouraged to limit travel only in case of emergency in the affected areas. MDOT also encourages the traveling public to pay close attention to weather and travel advisories issued by the National Weather Service, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Mississippi Highway Patrol and local law enforcement.

Mississippi Power crews are prepared to respond to possible outages caused by Winter Storm Helena. The storm system could potentially bring icing to trees and power lines, which may cause an interruption of electric service to some customers, Mississippi Power said through a statement.

Due to hazardous travel conditions caused by falling temperatures, Mississippi Power offices in Clarke, Lauderdale, Leake, Newton, Neshoba and Scott Counties closed at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Customers can report and monitor the status of an outage from their tablet, smart phone or computer by visiting Mississippi Power’s online outage map here. Mississippi Power customers can also report an outage at 1-800-ITS-DARK.

The East Mississippi Electric Power Association encouraged its members to stay indoors and off the roads if at all possible. EMEPA closed their offices at 1 p.m. on Friday but dispatchers remain on duty.

EMEPA offered the following tips: when using emergency heating equipment and kerosene heaters, maintain ventilation to avoid a build-up of toxic fumes and always refuel outside the home. Vehicles should be fueled and in good repair with adequate antifreeze. Insulate pipes with insulation or newspapers and plastic and allow faucets in unheated areas to drip a little during cold weather to avoid freezing.

EMEPA also encourages members to check on neighbors, friends and family during extreme winter conditions. And remember to provide pets with a warm place to take shelter from the extreme cold.

To report an outage or downed power line, call EMEPA at 601-581-8600.