An ice storm developed across the area on February 3rd into the early morning hours of the 4th. While this icing event was not devastating, the impact to travel was a major issue across the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS JAN wrote it up.
An ice storm developed across the area on February 3rd into the early morning hours of the 4th. While this icing event was not devastating, the impact to travel was a major issue across the region. Thousands of accidents occurred from slick roads. Overall, most areas received 0.25 to 0.5 inches of ice accumulation from freezing rain. Additionally, some areas had a mix of precipitation with sleet accumulating. Some snow did occur, but those were just across select areas and the accumulation was mainly one inch or less.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Jackson, MS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 3, 6:44 PM CST, 1 hour 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
644 PM CST THU FEB 3 2011
.UPDATE...
MADE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE WEATHER GRIDS OVERNIGHT TO PRECIPITATION TYPE
AND PRECIPITATION TIMING. THE 00Z JAN SOUNDING INDICATES A +4 DEG C
WARM NOSE AT 918 MB WHICH IS RESULTING COMPLETE MELTING OF ANY ICE
ALOFT AND ENSURING FREEZING RAIN AT THE SURFACE WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURES
STILL A FEW DEGREES BELOW FREEZING. BASED ON THIS AND THE FORECASTED
WARM NOSE MAX T EXPANDING WESTWARD WITH TIME...HAVE SHIFTED SLEET
AREA FARTHER WEST FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. EVENTUALLY...THE
APPROACHING TROUGH AND ASSOC COLD CORE WILL COOL THE THERMAL PROFILE
ENOUGH TO SHIFT SLEET POTENTIAL EASTWARD AS WE GO INTO FRIDAY
MORNING. ALSO...SOME OF THE MORE RECENT GUIDANCE IS INDICATING
TEMPERATURES MAY STAY BELOW FREEZING A LITTLE LONGER ALONG THE
NATCHEZ TRACE CORRIDOR AND HAVE EXTENDED HIGH FREEZING RAIN PROBS
THERE UNTIL 900 AM...BUT KEPT THE WSW TIMING AS THIS STILL FITS THE
WARNING TIMES. /EC/
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 522 PM CST THU FEB 3 2011/
..WINTER STORM IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT FOR THE ENTIRE ARKLAMISS...
DISCUSSION...
TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...
THE SHALLOW VERY COLD AIRMASS HAS WARMED LITTLE TODAY WITH MODELS
CONTINUING TO WARM THE BOUNDARY LAYER UP TOO QUICKLY. TEMPERATURES
REMAINED BELOW FREEZING ALL DAY OVER THE FORECAST AREA...WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF THE HBG AREA WHERE IT TOPPED OUT AROUND 33 F. CONVERSELY...
MODELS HAVE HANDLED THE WARM NOSE FAIRLY WELL WITH MAX WET BULB
ALOFT RISING TO NEAR 5 DEG C IN THE HBG AREA AND TO ABOVE ZERO FROM
JONESVILLE, LA TO CANTON, MS TO ABOUT COLUMBUS, MS. PERIODS OF LIGHT
SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN CONTINUE TO STREAK NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE
FORECAST AREA IN A REGION OF BROAD ISENTROPIC ASCENT AHEAD OF A
STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. GLAZE OF AROUND A TENTH OF AN INCH HAS
OCCURRED GENERALLY SOUTHEAST OF THE NATCHEZ TRACE CORRIDOR THUS FAR
WITH NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS REPORTED.
AS FOR PRECIPITATION TYPE TONIGHT...THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS CONCERN
BOUNDARY LAYER WARMING OVER SRN/ERN MS WHERE SFC WET BULB TEMPERATURES
ARE SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW FREEZING AS OF LATE AFTN. HAVE OPTED TO
EXTEND THE WINTER STORM WARNING A FEW HOURS THERE GIVEN THE POOR MODEL
PERFORMANCE THUS FAR...BUT WE STILL EXPECT SIGNIFICANT WARMING TO
OCCUR AS THE COLD ADVECTION PATTERN SHUTS DOWN AND LATENT HEATING IN
PRECIPITATION PROCESSES WARMS SURFACE TEMPERATURES.
MEANWHILE...CONFIDENCE IS INCREASING THAT AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF A
LINE FROM ABOUT BRANDON TO WEST POINT WILL NOT RISE ABOVE FREEZING
UNTIL AFTER 12Z AND HAVE ALSO EXTENDED THE WARNING THERE TO MID
MORNING. OVER THE DELTA REGION...THE WARM NOSE SHOULD BE COOL ENOUGH
FOR AT LEAST SLEET IF NOT A LITTLE SNOW...BUT WITH SREF FREEZING RAIN
PROBABILITY SO HIGH IN THAT REGION...SOME FREEZING RAIN IS POSSIBLE
EVEN OVER FAR NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE AREA.
AS FOR PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS...MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN SHOWING
THAT LARGE SCALE ASCENT AND PRECIPITATION WILL REACH PEAK INTENSITY
AFTER 900 PM AND LAST UNTIL ABOUT 900 AM FRIDAY MORNING. THE GENERAL
CONSENSUS IS THAT THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION AXIS WILL STRETCH ALONG
AND SOUTHEAST OF THE NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY...HOWEVER...SOME GUIDANCE
INDICATES HEAVIER QPF OVER THE DELTA REGION AND HAVE DECIDED EXPAND
THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. EVEN IF THE HEAVIER
PRECIPITATION DOES NOT MATERIALIZE IN THE DELTA AND LIQUID QPF IS
LESS THAN A QUARTER INCH...STILL EXPECT HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS TO
DEVELOP GIVEN THE COLD AIR IN PLACE AND TIMING.
EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO WIND DOWN QUICKLY AS WE GO INTO FRIDAY AND
FRIDAY NIGHT AS THE UPPER TROUGH DEPARTS. SOME LIGHT RAIN/DRIZZLE
ASSOC WITH THE UPPER TROUGH PASSAGE COULD DEVELOP. THE SHALLOW
MOISTURE DEPTH WILL PRECLUDE MUCH IN THE WAY OF ICE GROWTH ALOFT AND
SNOW PRODUCTION SO PRECIPITATION COULD ALL BE IN LIQUID FORM...AND
WILL HAVE TO WATCH FOR THE POTENTIAL OF -FZDZ/FZRA SHOULD THIS
HAPPEN. /EC/
FOR SAT-SAT NIGHT...CONDITIONS BEGIN TO CLEAR OUT AND THE AREA WILL
GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO DRY OUT A BIT. HIGHS ON SAT WILL REMAIN CHILLY
AND WELL BELOW AVG AS COOLER LOW LEVEL TEMPS REMAIN. GUID VALUES
LOOKED GOOD WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO UPPER 40S. BY SAT NIGHT...LOW
LEVEL WAA DEVELOPS AND LOWS WILL FALL BELOW FREEZING...BUT NOT BOTTOM
OUT REAL LOW. UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S LOOKS TO BE THE RANGE. /CME/
SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...THE OVERALL PATTERN REFUSES TO BUDGE
DURING THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK WITH THE MEAN TROUGH AXIS IN THE
CENTRAL CONUS EDGES BACK TOWARD THE ERN SEABOARD AND DELIVERS AT
LEAST TWO MORE SURGES OF POLAR AIR TO THE ERN HALF OF THE NATION.
NEITHER OF THESE SURGES APPEAR TO HAVE QUITE THE PUNCH OF THIS PAST
ONE AS THE SOURCE REGIONS IN WRN CANADA ARE QUITE DEPLETED OF
SERIOUSLY COLD AIR.
ON SUNDAY...SKIES WILL PARTIALLY CLEAR AND TEMPERATURES WILL BE
MODERATING CLOSE TO OUR NORMAL HIGHS FOR EARLY FEBRUARY. SURFACE
HIGH PRESSURE SLIDING TO OUR SE WILL PRODUCE TEMPORARY SWLY LL
WINDS. TO PUSH HIGHS INTO THE U40S TO U50S AS WAA INCREASES. EXPECT
LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT TO OCCUR DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH
READINGS HEADING UP AFTER MIDNIGHT AS LIGHT RAINS DEVELOP FROM NW TO
SE. THE RAINS WILL DEVELOP W OF THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT AHEAD OF THE
NEXT WEAK LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND COLD FRONT THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH
MONDAY MORNING. LOOK FOR A QUICK RETURN OF 0.7 INCH PWATS TO
GENERALLY YIELD LESS THAN ONE QUARTER INCH RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY A
RUMBLE OF THUNDER AHEAD OF THE FRONT N OF I-20.
THEN...WE WILL SEE A FRESH SUPPLY OF POLAR AIR AS A 1045MB HIGH
SLIDES DOWN THE MO RIVER VALLEY FROM CANADA MONDAY NIGHT. IT SHOULD
BE A DECENT PERIOD OF CAA OCCURRING OVER OUR REGION MONDAY AFTERNOON
THROUGH TUESDAY BEFORE ANOTHER GULF SYSTEM DEVELOPS OFFSHORE LATER
WEDNESDAY ALONG THE STALLING FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THE ECMWF HAS BEEN
CONSISTENT IN DEVELOPING THIS NEXT SYSTEM WITH A NEARLY ALL SNOW
EVENT WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHILE THE GFS/ENSEMBLE MEANS ONLY HINTING AT
IT SO FAR. HOWEVER IT DOES APPEAR THAT WINTER COLD WILL REMAIN IN
TACT FOR MOST OF NEXT WEEK BEFORE A LIGHT EMERGES AT THE END OF THE
TUNNEL WITH A SHIFT TO A MORE WNW UPPER FLOW REGIME BRINGING PACIFIC
AIR MASS INTRUSIONS./40/
&&
.AVIATION...
NOT A GOOD EVENING FOR FLYING ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA AS WIDESPREAD
FZRA IS DEVELOPING OVER MUCH OF THE AREA. CIGS/VSBY WILL DETERIORATE
TO MVFR/OCNL IFR TONIGHT AS PRECIPITATION BECOMES MORE WIDESPREAD AND
HEAVIER. LATEST SOUNDINGS AND FORECASTS SUGGEST EVENING PRECIP TYPES
OF SN/PL AT KGLH/KGWO...FZRA AT KJAN/KGTRKMEI/KHBG. LATENT HEAT
RELEASE AND TRANSPORT OF HEAT INTO THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE
BY WARMER RAIN ALOFT WILL GRADUALLY ALLOW SFC TEMPS TO RISE FROM SE
TO NW TONIGHT...WHICH SHOULD GRADUALLY CHANGE FZRA TO RA AT
KMEI/KHBG. KJAN/KGTR SHOULD REMAIN FZRA MOST OF THE NIGHT...BUT BY
12Z TEMPS COULD BE NEAR 32F. KGWO/KGLH WILL SEE WINTRY PRECIPITATION
THROUGH THE MID MORNING...BUT AS TEMPERATURES ALOFT GRADUALLY RISE
WILL SEE A TRANSITION TO FZRA AT KGWO BY 08Z AND TO A MIX AT KGLH BY
LATE IN THE NIGHT.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
JACKSON 27 38 25 45 / 98 91 31 7
MERIDIAN 28 40 28 46 / 100 100 28 10
VICKSBURG 27 36 23 46 / 94 76 28 4
HATTIESBURG 31 43 31 48 / 95 92 21 6
NATCHEZ 27 37 22 46 / 96 80 19 6
GREENVILLE 26 36 23 43 / 83 71 38 0
GREENWOOD 27 38 23 44 / 88 81 40 2
&&
.JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MS...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 3 AM CST FRIDAY FOR MSZ039-045-046-
051-052-056>058-063>066-072>074.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 9 AM CST FRIDAY FOR MSZ028>033-037-
038-043-044-048>050-054-055-061-062.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON CST FRIDAY FOR MSZ018-019-
025>027-034>036-040>042-047-053-059-060.
LA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON CST FRIDAY FOR LAZ007>009-015-
016-023>026.
AR...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL NOON CST FRIDAY FOR ARZ074-075.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 353 PM CST THU FEB 3 2011 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-072>074- 042200- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CONCORDIA-BOLIVAR- SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE-GRENADA-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY-WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES- CHOCTAW-OKTIBBEHA-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES-ATTALA-WINSTON- NOXUBEE-ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-MADISON MS-LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER- WARREN-HINDS-RANKIN-SCOTT-NEWTON-LAUDERDALE-CLAIBORNE-COPIAH- SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER-CLARKE-JEFFERSON-ADAMS-FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN- LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON-JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 353 PM CST THU FEB 3 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND FRIDAY A WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE REGION TONIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY. A MIXTURE OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL IMPACT MUCH OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT...WITH ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF A QUARTER TO A HALF INCH EXPECTED. OVER NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...SOME SNOW WILL ALSO OCCCUR...WITH 1 TO 2 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. WARMER AIR WILL GRADUALLY MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM THE SOUTHEAST LATER TONIGHT...RESULTING IN A CHANGE OVER TO RAIN IN THE INTERSTATE 59 CORRIDOR AFTER MIDNIGHT...AND AS FAR WEST AS THE NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY CORRIDOR BY MID MORNING FRIDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF WINTER WEATHER OPERATIONS...WILL BE NEEDED TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. 08
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
752 PM CST THU FEB 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 PM ICE STORM BROOKHAVEN 31.58N 90.45W
02/03/2011 LINCOLN MS EMERGENCY MNGR
.25 TO .30 INCH ICE ACCUMULATION ACROSS LINCOLN CO.
DOZENS OF ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED ACROSS THE COUNTY WITH
NEARLY ALL THE BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES SIGNIFICANTLY ICED
OVER.
&&
CMEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
756 PM CST THU FEB 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 PM ICE STORM CARTHAGE 32.74N 89.53W
02/03/2011 LEAKE MS EMERGENCY MNGR
.25 ICE ACCUMULATION ACROSS LEAKE COUNTY WITH NUMEROUS
BRIDGES ICED OVER AND MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS ACROSS THE
COUNTY.
&&
CMEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
758 PM CST THU FEB 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0748 PM FREEZING RAIN SYLVARENA 32.01N 89.38W
02/03/2011 U0.00 INCH SMITH MS EMERGENCY MNGR
*** 3 INJ *** VEHICLE OVERTURNED ON LEAF RIVER BRIDGE
RESULTING IN THREE INJURIES
&&
ECPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
802 PM CST THU FEB 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 PM ICE STORM MONTICELLO 31.55N 90.11W
02/03/2011 LAWRENCE MS LAW ENFORCEMENT
.25 INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATED ON BRIDGES ACROSS THE
COUNTY...ESPECIALLY HWY 84. MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS ON BRIDGES
AS WELL.
&&
CMEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
806 PM CST THU FEB 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0801 PM ICE STORM BUDE 31.46N 90.85W
02/03/2011 FRANKLIN MS EMERGENCY MNGR
QUARTER INCH OF ICE ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES COUNTYWIDE.
&&
JFAIRLYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
815 PM CST THU FEB 03 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 PM ICE STORM FOREST 32.36N 89.47W
02/03/2011 SCOTT MS EMERGENCY MNGR
.25 ICE ACCUMULATION ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES ACROSS THE
COUNTY. MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED WITH SOME
INJURIES.
&&
CMEThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A quarter inch of ice accumulated on trees and power lines along with covering area bridges and overpasses.
A quarter inch to four tenths of ice and sleet accumulated across the parish. Bridges and overpasses were iced over and roadways were slick.
A quarter inch to four tenths of ice and sleet accumulated across the parish. Bridges and overpasses were iced over and roadways were slick.
A quarter inch to four tenths of ice and sleet accumulated across the parish. Bridges and overpasses were iced over and roadways were slick.
A quarter inch to four tenths of ice and sleet accumulated across the parish. Bridges and overpasses were iced over and roadways were slick.
A quarter inch to four tenths of ice and sleet accumulated across the parish. Bridges and overpasses were iced over and roadways were slick.
A quarter inch to four tenths of ice and sleet accumulated across the parish. Bridges and overpasses were iced over and roadways were slick.
A quarter inch to four tenths of ice and sleet accumulated across the parish. Bridges and overpasses were iced over and roadways were slick.
A quarter inch to four tenths of ice and sleet accumulated across the parish. Bridges and overpasses were iced over and roadways were slick.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, February 2011
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 291140, 291144, 291169, 291170, 291171, 291173, 291174, 291175, 291176.