Residents of Leflore County should brace for frigid temperatures that are expected to move in by Wednesday afternoon.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the upper 20s tonight, with a cold front coming in Wednesday afternoon and evening, said David Cox, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson.
A hard freeze warning is in effect from Wednesday night through Thursday afternoon.
Nighttime temperatures Wednesday are expected to reach between 12 and 17 degrees in Greenwood. A strong high-pressure system will bring wind, making the wind chill between 3 and 5 degrees, Cox said.
“It’s going to be dangerously cold,” he said. “I would recommend people protect their pets, pipes and plants.”
He suggested that those who venture out wear plenty of layers and protect skin as much as possible with gloves and scarves.
Cox said Thursday’s high temperature isn’t expected to get above freezing. “We may stay below freezing from Wednesday through Friday morning,” he said.
Highs on Friday and Saturday are expected to reach the mid-30s, Cox said. Some precipitation, in the form of freezing rain or sleet, is expected Saturday night and Sunday, he said.
Susan Bailey, director of the Greenwood Public Works Department, said her staff has monitoring the conditions and preparing. “We’re watching the weather to see what it brings,” she said. “Hopefully, it will be nothing.”
Leflore County Road Manager Jerry Smith said his crews are watching to see how the weather develops.
“We already have everything ready. We have two 18-wheelers loaded with pea gravel at satellite locations,” he said.
Smith said initially pea gravel would be used on the county’s bridges. If warranted, his crews can also deploy sand and salt to keep the roadways safe.
