With another winter weather advisory striking southwest Mississippi today, area civil defense directors are less concerned about road hazards this time compared to January’s winter storm, but they’re urging caution all the same.
Pike County Civil Defense Director Richard Coghlan said road crews are slowly working around the county to mitigate icing on bridges and overpasses.
As of this morning, the only permanently closed bridge in Pike County is the downtown overhead bridge in McComb, and Coghlan expects that span to be shut down throughout the rest of the afternoon, if not the evening.
First responders have seen few wrecks from the sleet and ice this morning, mostly on bridges, and Coghlan said much of that is a result of driver panic.
“When you run into an icy road situation, you just need to slow down and take your time until you get beyond that,” he said. “It’s driving fast that gets people in trouble. If you need to get out, be careful and drive slowly.”
In Amite County, Civil Defense Director Grant McCurley said a few bridges have iced over, and he has seen two one-vehicle accidents this morning, both injury-free.
Both civil defense directors said some bridges will be closed temporarily during the day to sand the area then reopened soon after.
The National Weather Service in Slidell, La., is expecting temperatures to rise to 39 degrees this afternoon and drop below freezing tonight, meaning any remaining precipitation could freeze again overnight.
However, temperatures for Wednesday are expected to reach 63 degrees, sending the pesky winter weather away once more.
