Close to 10″ of Rain in Lafayette County and More on the Way

In the last 36 hours, more than 9 inches of rain has fallen in Lafayette County with more on the way.

The deluge has wreaked havoc on Oxford and Lafayette County roads with flash flooding and soaked tress falling and blocking roads.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Meredith Wyatt said about 1 to 3 inches has fallen in Lafayette County just this morning, in addition to the 6 to 8 inches of rain on Monday and Tuesday.

“Definitely not the ideal conditions out there this morning,” Wyatt said.

Showers continue to move into north Mississippi from the west.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Wyatt said.

There is a flash flood watch through 7 p.m. and a flash flood warning for Lafayette County until noon.

“Depending on how this plays out today, that might need to be extended,” she said.

Wyatt said the rainfall may become lighter tonight and overnight into Thursday morning.

“We’re still going to be in this unsettled weather pattern for awhile,” she said. “It may taper off some by the morning (Thursday), but we expect more showers and some thunderstorms Thursday and into Friday and even this weekend potentially, as well.”

While Thursday’s expected rainfall is at 1 inch, any additional rain in the area can be a potential problem, Wyatt said, due to the amount that has already fallen. The ground is soaked, which causes the rain to collect on roads and low areas.

As of this morning, Yocona River is at 27 feet, 2 feet above flood level.

“It has risen 20 feet over the last 24 hours,” Wyatt said.

Several roads in Oxford and Lafayette County are closed due to flooding, and the list keeps growing.

At about 10 a.m., Oxford reported Anderson Road, County Road 401, Harlan Road, Hathorn Road, Maplewood Cove, Park Drive and South 18th Street were either partially or completely flooded.

A tree fell on Molly Barr Road near Molly Barr Trails at about 9 a.m., blocking part of the road. Crews are on scene cleaning the debris.

In Lafayette County, County Roads 104, 221, 224, 105, 129, 245, 311, 385, 470, 485, 126, 185, 309, 383, 428, 471, 511, 251 and Sardis Road were all experiencing flooding as of this morning.

North East Mississippi Electric Power Association is reporting 2,129 customers without power at 10 a.m. The city of Oxford Electric Department is reporting two customers without power.

This is a developing story. Hotty Toddy News will provide updates when available on www.hottytoddy.com and on Facebook and Twitter.