Icy and slippery roads and bridges were being reported across much of the Golden Triangle this morning.
A little after 8 a.m., the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department responded to at least two wrecks, both were rollovers with passenger ejections, according to local scanner traffic. One occurred at the Highway 82 and Highway 45 Alternate intersection. The other occurred near the Lee-Stokes Road exit on Highway 82. No information on injuries was available.
By 5 a.m., the Mississippi Highway Patrol had reported 41 wrecks in the northern half of the state, according to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.
The National Weather Service in Jackson reported that ice accumulated in Starkville. The highway patrol office in Starkville reported, via its Twitter page, that at 5:30 a.m. numerous bridges and overpasses in Lowndes, Oktibbeha and Clay counties were iced over.
A winter weather advisory remained in effect for the Golden Triangle and parts of the Mid-South until noon today. Forecasters said the threat for heavy snow has moved east.
Northern Mississippi saw anywhere from a half inch to an inch with some heavier amounts reported around Tippah and Alcorn Counties.
The following schools were closed today: Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women, East Mississippi Community College, Columbus Municipal School District, Lowndes County School District, Starkville School District, West Point School District, Clay County School District, Annunciation Catholic Schools, Heritage Academy, Victory Christian Academy, Immanuel Christian Academy and St. Paul’s Episcopal Day Care.
Columbus Air Force Base is closed today, as well as the Lowndes County Courthouse, Columbus City Hall and all county administrative offices. Circuit Court did not meet today. All locations of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System were closed today.
It will be mostly cloudy with a few flurries in north Mississippi during the early part of the day and afternoon high temperatures will be in the low to mid-thirties.
There is another chance of snow or sleet in northern Mississippi tonight, with low temperatures in the low to mid-twenties.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency Monday ahead of the winter storm.
The declaration cleared the way for state officials to move quickly to respond to problems that could be created by snow or ice.
He also delayed the opening of state government offices until 10 a.m. today in areas expected to be affected by a winter storm, including the Capitol complex in Jackson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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