LIVE: Follow unprecedented weather event in Mississippi
Mississippi, like much of central and southern United States is waking up to extreme cold Friday, the likes of which has probably never been seen before.
The bitter cold has the potential to be life-threatening and is expected to remain through Christmas Day.
In Jackson, National Weather Service forecasts indicate temperatures could drop as low as 12 degrees overnight Thursday into Friday morning and are not likely to rise above freezing until Sunday morning. In Hattiesburg, NWS forecasts predict a low of 18 degrees Thursday night, with temperatures not going above freezing until Saturday.
Shelters opened ahead of the severe cold, which set in overnight. Department of Transportation officials prepared trucks ready to salt highways that have iced over. Other preparations were underway Thursday and Mississippians buckled down and prepared to wait out the cold.
The Clarion Ledger will be updating this story throughout the day to bring you the latest happenings with this extreme weather event, so check back periodically for updates.
1 p.m.: Jackson water system holds up to temperature drops; minor issues reported
Both OB Curtis and JH Fewell plants held up to the overnight temperatures.
The OB Curtis facility experienced some minor process issues, which created a slowdown in production of finished water at OB Curtis. The issue was resolved and OB Curtis is recovering.
City water pressure is currently at 81 PSI.
Due to breaks in the distribution system, there are areas experiencing lower than normal water pressure. These are areas primarily served by the Elaine and Suncrest tanks.
In addition, a fire hydrant on Robinson Road between Chadwick Drive nd Greenway Drive was hit and damaged beyond normal repair. A contractor is on site and the repairs are expected to be completed today.
City crews also are working Azalea Drive at Beaverbrook Drive and Galloway at Broadway. The city expects to see tank and pressure improvements as repairs are completed.
Crews are monitoring for additional leaks and system issues, Jackson officials reported.
11:30 a.m.: Stay aware of icy roads and bridges in north Mississippi
The Mississippi Department of Transportation is reporting a number of roads and bridges have patches of ice in northern Mississippi counties.
Affected counties include DeSoto, Marshall, Panola, Quitman and Alcorn.
MDOT has placed these areas under a traffic alert until 5 p.m.
10:30 a.m.: Power restored for most of Walthall County
About 3,700 customers — roughly half — in Walthall County were without power for about an hour and a half Friday morning, Walthall Emergency Management Director Royce McKee said.
Utility workers were able to restore power quickly in Tylertown and other areas, but some rural customers remain without power, McKee said.
In Mississippi, roughly 12,500 customers were without power as of 10:30 a.m. Friday.
In addition, the National Weather Service reported its radar site at Brandon is offline due to a hardware failure. Technicians were notified and they were able to isolate the issue. NWS officials said they expect the radar to be operational again by early Friday afternoon.
8:30 a.m.: Weather Service reports wind chills will remain in single digits, teens; patches of ice on roads
The National Weather Service in Jackson said Friday's temperatures will remain mainly in the 20s, with wind chills in the single digits and teens.
Patchy slick spots are possible throughout the morning, especially in Bolivar, Sunflower, Leflore, Grenada, Carroll, Montgomery, Webster, Clay, Lowndes, Choctaw, Oktibbeha, Holmes, Attala, Winston, Noxubee, Neshoba and Kemper counties.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation there are reports of ice on roads and bridges in Alcorn, DeSoto, Marshall, Panola and Quitman counties.
MDOT officials warned motorists to use extreme caution on roads affected by the winter weather.
Today will be partly cloudy, windy, and very cold. Temperatures will remain below freezing, with high temperatures mainly in the 20s. Wind chills will mostly remain in the single digits and teens today. pic.twitter.com/OTzpjII6ee
— NWS Jackson MS (@NWSJacksonMS) December 23, 2022
8 a.m.: Thousands without power in Mississippi
Thousands across the state woke up to no power Friday morning. Entergy reports that more than 2,000 in the Jackson area are without power as they try to repair lines damaged by heavy winds as the cold front blew through Thursday night. Entergy's outage map shows 145 different outages affecting roughly 2,500 customers in the Jackson metro area.
Vicksburg also reported more than 1,000 without power.
Statewide, 8,800 customers were without power as of 8 a.m., according to poweroutage.us.
What you need to know:Life-threatening severe winter weather to hit Mississippi.
Pine Belt weather:Button up, Hattiesburg. It's about to get cold - really, really cold
Jackson:Mayor, water administration say system is better prepared for projected deep freeze
National Weather Service:Freezing conditions for southern Mississippi before Christmas
Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Live extreme weather updates for Mississippi Christmas weekend
