Lingering effects of Winter Storm Fern in Mississippi are expected to be prolonged with another cold front hitting the state this weekend, the National Weather Service and state officials are warning.
Remaining ice from Fern, which moved out Sunday afternoon, was still being reported Friday morning in 21 counties: Alcorn, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Coahoma, DeSoto, Grenada, Lafayette, Leflore, Marshall, Panola, Prentiss, Quitman, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Tishomingo, Tunica, Washington, and Yalobusha.
The chances of significant melting happening between now and Friday night, when temperatures are dropping below freezing again, are slim, Gov. Tate Reeves said.
“We know that [on Friday], temperatures are going to get above freezing in north Mississippi but not for very long and not very much above 32 (degrees),” Reeves said, noting that crews are working during the day to clear the ice. “We know that the current forecast calls for Saturday for the weather not to get above freezing.”
RELATED: Governor says winter storm death toll up to at least 14
NWS has issued a “dangerous cold” warning for the entire state that includes below-freezing temperatures from Friday night until Sunday at noon. Much of north Mississippi and pockets of the Delta impacted worst by Fern will see the coldest of the temperatures with conditions expected to “worsen power outages” that have been reduced from a statewide high of 180,000-plus to around 85,000 as of Friday morning.
NWS Jackson meteorologist David Cox warned that winds in the area could be strong enough to damage trees already weakened or offset by Fern.
“As this comes in tonight, we could have wind chills well into the single digits, potentially sub-zero wind child as well, across the northern part of the state. The winds will be pretty strong. We could actually have gusts into tomorrow between 30 and 40 miles per hour,” Cox explained. “So, in addition to it being very cold, that’s going to be a problem for the ongoing power restoration efforts.”
The majority of central Mississippi and the northeast and southwest corners are forecast to see lows near or below 15 degrees and highs below 32 degrees over the weekend. Even the southernmost part of the state, including the Gulf Coast, is forecast to see lows near or below 20 degrees and highs hovering around the 32-degree mark.
If there is a silver lining for the incoming cold front, it’s that no precipitation is currently in the forecast, NWS Jackson meteorologist Mike Edmonston added.
“We call this a potent cold-weather low-pressure system that will be dropping into the area Friday into Friday night. At this time, we’re not advertising any wintery precipitation with it. It looks pretty dry,” he said.
State officials are warning residents in still-icy areas not to drive through the weekend, if at all possible. Major traffic jams have been reported in the northern part of the state throughout the week due to a combination of remaining ice and major wrecks.