Don’t Put Away the Galoshes or Heavy Coats; More Wintry Weather on the Way

Cold, wet, wintry weather will be sticking around Lafayette County for the next several days.

As of noon Thursday, Oxford was thus far spared from any ice accumulation from the storm that rolled into north Mississippi last night; however, a Winter Weather Advisory is still in place until 1 p.m.

The possibility of the rain turning to ice on roads prompted Lafayette County School District to close all schools today. The Oxford School District and the University of Mississippi had a two-hour delayed start to their day.

The cold, wet weather also closed down the COVID-19 vaccination site at the National Guard Armory in Oxford, with the Mississippi State Department of Health rescheduling all appointments for today to Feb. 20. More closures are possible with the inclement weather expected to hang around for a while.

Rain and possibly some sleet is expected to continue throughout the day into the evening with the low temperature lingering around 31 degrees.

According to the National Weather Service, Friday is forecast to have similar weather, albeit a little less rain during the day. There is a 20 percent chance of rain before 7 p.m., then a 30 percent chance of a wintry mix of rain, freezing rain and sleet Friday night. The low is expected to hit 24 degrees.

A strong cold front is expected to roll into the area on Saturday, bring frigid temperatures for the next few days.

There is a chance of freezing rain and sleet before 7 a.m. on Saturday, then the remainder of the day should be mostly cloudy and cold with a high of near 33 degrees. By Saturday night, the temperature is expected to dip to 18 degrees.

Sunday’s high is expected to hit just 29 degrees, with another slight chance of early morning freezing rain or sleet Sunday night with the low around 18 degrees.

More freezing rain and sleet, and possibly snow, is expected on Monday with the high temperature only reaching 26 degrees. More snow, sleet and freezing rain are expected into Monday night with the low temperature reaching just 12 degrees. With the wind-chill factor, the low could dip into the single digits.

The extended forecast shows more rain or snow into the middle of the week next week; however, the high on Wednesday could hit 40 degrees.

Mississippi weather this time of year is unpredictable and changes quickly. Keep an eye on weather reports and check with Hottytoddy.com for updates.