Clarksdale and most of Northwest Mississippi saw record low temperatures and biting wind this week that will be remembered for years to come.
“It is cold and we have urged people to stay out of the weather and stay warm,” said Coahoma County Emergency Management Director Charles Hale. “Like I said it was dangerously cold, but thankfully we didn’t have any major problems.”
Hale pointed out, while Coahoma County got about six- to seven-inches of sleet and snow, it did not stick to trees and powerlines and didn’t affect electric power.
“It did make the streets and roads very slick, and while there were fender-benders and cars that slide off the road, we have not had any reports of major injuries,” said Hale. “The worst came down Monday, which was a holiday and people just stayed home.”
County road graders and tractors were busy Tuesday morning clearing roads in the county and Clarksdale. Mayor Chuck Espy and the City of Clarksdale declared an emergency in a special called meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
Hale did say a second bout of wet weather Thursday made things worse, but sunshine and temperatures just above freezing this weekend should help Clarksdale thaw out.
The Clarksdale Courthouse was closed all week, but should reopen for court on Monday. Clarksdale Municipal Court was also closed as judges could not make it to Clarksdale this week. Schools are expected to be open Monday too, but the weather could change and parents should stay informed.
The National Weather Service out of Memphis said freezing rain did fall Thursday and ice up roads across Northwest Mississippi. Sunshine will melt ice during the day but temperatures will drop well below freezing through next week.
"A wind chill advisory remains in effect until 11 a.m. Saturday," the NWS said in a statement. "This advisory is expected to reoccur each evening through Monday."
NWS said the high Friday is expected to be 29, Saturday 22, Sunday 34, Monday 47 and Tuesday 57..
NWS said the low Friday is expected to be 13, Saturday 22, Sunday, 34, Monday, 39
“Extreme dangerous cold temperatures are expected to affect the entire Mid-South through the weekend,” the NWS said earlier this week. “The Wind Chill Advisory for Coahoma County is in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17. Low temperatures will be between 0-degrees and -10-degrees with highs below freezing, in the 20s.”
And this alert is serious.
The NWS added that frostbite is possible in 30 minutes or less, hypothermia is likely with prolonged outdoor exposure and damage to exposed pipes and water main breaks are possible.
Parents are urged to monitor children playing outdoors and neighbors are urged to check on the elderly. The elderly are urged to call 911 if they need a ride to the Clarksdale Auditorium.
The community is reminded the Auditorium has been open as a warming station and not a weather shelter. That means people are welcome to come and get warm, but there are not the services normally associated with a shelter such as cots and food.
Cold weather precautions should be made for pets, too.
The community is urged to leave water faucets dripping during this cold spell. A steady drip of 10-drips a minutes wastes one gallon of water which is much less than a visit by the plumber.
Residents are urged to keep their phones charged and call Clarksdale Public Utilities immediately if they lose power.
The community is reminded that while rains could wash away some of the ice, patches of ice are predicted.
This type of weather prompts roads to develop “black ice” that can’t always been seen and is literally a sheet of clear ice.
Sunshine and temperatures above freezing during the day next week should rid Clarksdale and Coahoma County roads of all ice.
A 70-percent chance of rain is forecast for Wednesday and Thursday next week.
