Watches, Warnings & Advisories for Sunflower Co.

Monday, January 14, 2013

MEMA Weather Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                                               Jan. 14, 2013

MORE ICE AND WINTER PRECIPITATION EXPECTED IN PARTS OF MISSISSIPPI

PEARL – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is monitoring a weather system moving through the state bringing ice and freezing rain to much of the northern half of the state, and rain to the southern portion of the state. The latest National Weather Service forecast calls for a break in the weather this evening, with another system moving in early tomorrow morning.

NWS has issued the following advisories, watches and warnings which are subject to change due to developing weather conditions:
·         Winter Storm Watch: Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall, Monroe, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union and Yalobusha counties.
·         Freezing Rain Advisory: Attala, Choctaw, Clay, Hinds, Leake, Lowndes, Madison, Oktibbeha, Rankin, Warren, and Winston counties.
·         Winter Weather Advisory: Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Coahoma, DeSoto, Itawamba, Lafayette, Lee, Marshall, Monroe, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Union and Yalobusha.
·         Ice Storm Warning: Bolivar, Carroll, Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Montgomery, Sharkey, Sunflower, Washington, Webster and Yazoo counties.
·         Flood Warning: Attala, Carroll, Clarke, Clay, George, Greene, Hancock, Hinds, Holmes, Jackson, Jones, Lawrence, Leflore, Lowndes, Madison, Monroe, Neshoba, Pearl River, Perry, Sharkey, Sunflower, Tate, Tunica, Warren, Wayne and Yazoo counties.
·         Flash Flood Warning: Hinds, Lowndes and Madison counties.

Thirty-seven counties have reported the following winter weather conditions to the State Emergency Operations Center in Pearl:
·         Alcorn: Ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         Attala: Ice forming on power lines.
·         Bolivar: Ice forming on trees throughout the county.
·         Calhoun: Freezing rain.
·         Carroll: Power outages.
·         Choctaw: Ice forming on trees throughout the county.
·         Coahoma: Ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         DeSoto: Ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         Grenada: Ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         Harrison: Cold weather shelter opening at D’Iberville Civic Center Complex, 10395 Auto Mall Parkway, D’Iberville. Shelter will be open Tuesday through Friday, 4:30 p.m. to 8 a.m.
·         Hinds: Ice forming on trees throughout the county.
·         Humphreys: Ice forming on trees throughout the county.
·         Issaquena: Ice on roads and bridges. Power outages throughout the county.
·         Lafayette: Ice on bridges.
·         Marshall: Ice on bridges. Several vehicle accidents.
·         Panola: Numerous vehicle accidents due to ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         Prentiss: Ice on trees and bridges.
·         Quitman: Ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         Sharkey: More than 400 power outages near Anguilla, with significant ice on trees and power lines throughout the county.
·         Sunflower: Ice forming on power lines.
·         Tallahatchie: Ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         Tate: Ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         Tunica: Ice on bridges and overpasses.
·         Union: Ice on power lines and tress.
·         Washington: Ice on bridges and other elevated structures.
·         Wayne: Possible tornado destroying two homes, two homes with major damage and two homes with minor damage.
·         Webster: Power outages.
·         Winston: Ice on vehicles.
·         Yalobusha: Ice on bridges and overpasses.

Stay tuned to your local media for updates on weather and schools in your area.

Due to the accumulation of ice in many portions of Northern Mississippi, motorists should expect icy conditions and remember to use extreme caution on roads and overpasses if they are traveling in areas experiencing winter weather, as slick or icy spots are developing.

Ice accumulation could also bring down trees and power lines.  If you encounter any downed power lines, always treat them as if they are live, and report them to your power company or call 9-1-1.

Residents are also encouraged to check on elderly and at-risk neighbors and relatives due to the increased potential for power outages and temperatures dropping well below freezing.  Make sure they have a safe, warm place to stay while the conditions remain cold and hazardous.

In addition to the threat of winter weather, heavy rain and thunderstorms are moving through the state causing local flooding of already swollen creeks and rivers.  Residents should never drive through flooded roadways and look for an alternate route.

Some counties received more than six inches of rain last week, which raises the concern of additional flooding, downed trees and power lines and the possibility of mudslides due to saturated soil.

MEMA urges the public to report damages to your local Emergency Management Agency. For a list of contact numbers for your county, visitwww.msema.org/local-ema.

The public is encouraged to follow MEMA on Twitter and Facebook for updates.

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