The prospect of between 1 and 3 inches of rain, damaging winds and maybe a tornado or two beginning Thursday afternoon prompted a request from Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams for trick-or-treaters to go out tonight instead.
“I can’t change Halloween. But I can encourage people to go out tonight,” she said.
McAdams said since Halloween falls on Thursday instead of a Saturday or Sunday, she can only ask people to amend their plans.
Alan Campbell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said this morning that Thursday looked like “a washout.”
Campbell said the weather system, which will move across the state starting as soon as Thursday morning, has already prompted some Jackson-area neighborhoods to move their Halloween festivities up.
McAdams said she made her request on her Facebook page Tuesday night after she learned that Greenville Mayor John Cox had done so. She made the decision after meteorologists from local TV stations upgraded the chance of rain in their forecasts from 75 percent to 100 percent.
Itta Bena Mayor Thelma Collins also moved the town’s Halloween celebration to tonight.
Campbell said heavy rain should begin in Leflore County on Thursday afternoon and continue throughout the night before tapering off early Friday morning.
He said strong, damaging winds remain a primary concern, and tornadoes could come as early as Thursday afternoon.
McAdams said several church-based pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes, which had planned for trick-or-treating downtown, had already moved their schedules up.
Pillow Academy announced this morning that its planned activities also had been moved up to tonight.
Greenwood Police Lt. Ray Moore said officers would be out in force tonight in an effort to provide for a safe Halloween experience.
He advised trick-or-treaters to wear reflective clothing, carry a flashlight and use caution while crossing the street.
“Stay with your parents or your group,” Moore said.
He advised that parents look over their children’s candy for signs of tampering before letting the children consume it.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
