Spcl WX Stmt - Jan 9, 2011 8:10pm

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
810 PM CST SUN JAN 9 2011

...WINTER STORM CAUSING SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ACROSS THE ARKLAMISS 
TONIGHT...

AT 8 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA 
OF SLEET...FREEZING RAIN...AND SNOW...OVER MOST OF THE ARKLAMISS 
REGION. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION IS IN A BAND FROM ST. JOSEPH 
LOUISIANA TO NEAR GRENADA AND EUPORA...AND ALSO OVER EAST CENTRAL 
MISSISSIPPI. THE PRECIPITATION CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTHEAST.

TEMPERATURES ARE AT OR BELOW FREEZING NOW OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. 
ROAD CONDITIONS CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE...AND MANY AREAS ALONG AND 
NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 ARE REPORTING THAT MOST BRIDGES AND 
OVERPASSES ARE ICY AND HAZARDOUS. THIS INCLUDES MANY INTERSTATE 
BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. SOME LOCATIONS IN NORTHERN AND EAST CENTRAL 
MISSISSIPPI WHERE TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MID TO UPPER 20S ARE 
REPORTING ICE OR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ON NON-ELEVATED ROAD SURFACES. 
TRAVEL IS NOW EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS IN THESE AREAS. SNOW AND SLEET 
ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE COMMON ACROSS SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS 
AND NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...WHILE GLAZE AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS OF UP 
TO A HALF INCH ARE BEING REPORTED ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL AND 
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI.

HERE ARE EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS...

NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM LAKE PROVIDENCE TO COLUMBUS...SNOW MIXED AT 
TIMES WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL OCCUR FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL 
HOURS. SNOW AND SLEET WILL LIKELY ACCUMULATE 1 TO 3 INCHES BETWEEN 8 
PM AND MIDNIGHT OVER THIS AREA. AREAS OF NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI  
MAY SEE LOCALLY GREATER TOTALS OF SNOW.  ROAD CONDITIONS WILL BE 
VERY POOR...AND POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR AS THE ACCUMULATION OF ICE 
AND SNOW OCCUR ON POWERLINES AND BRANCHES.

OVER EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI FROM BROOKHAVEN TO 
MERIDIAN AND SOUTHEAST OF THERE...FREEZING RAIN...MIXED AT TIMES 
WITH SLEET...WILL OCCUR. REPORTS INDICATE THAT GLAZING IS BECOMING 
AN ISSUE ON TREES AND POWERLINES...AND DOWNED TREES AND POWER 
OUTAGES ARE NOW BEING REPORTED. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE 
THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS AS ICE ACCUMULATES UP TO A HALF INCH WITH 
LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH. ROAD CONDITIONS ARE 
HAZARDOUS AND WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE...PARTICULARLY ALONG AND 
NORTH OF US HIGHWAY 84. 

IN BETWEEN THESE TWO AREAS FROM NORTHEAST LOUISIANA ACROSS THE 
JACKSON AND VICKSBURG AREAS TO DE KALB...FREEZING RAIN AND 
SLEET...MIXED AT TIMES WITH SNOW...CAN BE EXPECTED. ROAD CONDITIONS 
WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE...AND SOME POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR AS 
ICE ACCUMULATES ON TREES AND POWERLINES. LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTS 
THAT INTERSTATE 220 AT INTERSTATE 55 IS NEARLY IMPASSABLE DUE TO ICE 
ACCUMULATION. AN AXIS OF LOCALIZED HEAVIER ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF UP 
TO A HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH MAY OCCUR FROM VICKSBURG TO 
LEXINGTON WHERE HEAVIER FREEZING RAIN IS FALLING.

PRECIPITATION IS BEGINNING TO TAPER OFF FROM THE SOUTHWEST SOUTH OF 
INTERSTATE 20...BUT PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 
20 THROUGH AT LEAST THE EVENING HOURS. 

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS 
DANGEROUS WINTER WEATHER SITUATION.