| Event |
Heavy Snow |
| State |
MISSISSIPPI |
| County/Area |
Rankin |
| WFO |
JAN |
| Begin Date |
12/11/2008 06:35:00 CST-6 |
| End Date |
12/11/2008 19:45:00 CST-6 |
| Deaths Direct/Indirect |
0/0 (fatality details below, when available...) |
| Injuries Direct/Indirect |
0/0 |
| Property Damage |
15.00K |
| Crop Damage |
0.00K |
| Episode Narrative |
A rare early December heavy snow event unfolded across the south starting late on the 10th and really ramping up on the 11th. An upper level low deepened across the northern gulf and produced a swath of snow from southeast Texas, Louisiana, and into Mississippi. This was an unusual snow because temperatures ranged from 32 to 35 degrees where the snow fell. The upper low provided its own cold air and that was enough to allow rain to change to snow, especially where precipitation was heavy. Snowfall amounts ranged from a trace to 9 inches across our service area. The heaviest snow fell within an axis from McComb to Morton Mississippi. Areas that did receive more than 2 or 3 inches had trees and power lines down from the weight of the snow which resulted in many power outages. Roads were slick as well because of the fast accumulation and slushy conditions. Numerous accidents occurred from the hazardous road conditions. |
| Event Narrative |
Sleet began just after 630am across extreme southern portions of the county and by 730 most of the county had started seeing a rain/sleet/snow mix. Around 945 moderate snow began to fall over with totals quickly approaching 2 inches around 10. By 11 numerous locations across the southern half of the county were reporting up to 3 inches of snow. At the same time extreme northwestern portions of the county began to change back over to a snow/sleet mix with all winter precipitation coming to an end over the airport shortly after 12pm. By this time numerous traffic accidents had occurred due to sleet and snow piling up on the roads. Also a few large tree branches and powerlines came down. Moderate to heavy snow continued to fall across the south with winter precipitation finally coming to an end around 2pm. Total accumulations ranged from just over half an inch of just sleet in the northwest to as around 3 inches near the Brandon area with as much as 5 inches in the communities of Florence and Star. |
