Ice storm warning extended to Thursday morning
A pedestrian crosses Poplar Avenue as freezing rain falls on Tuesday, Jan. 31. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
The National Weather Service has extended its ice storm warning for the Mid-South.
The original warning went into effect 6 p.m. Monday and was to remain in effect until noon Wednesday, Feb. 1.
The new warning will be in effect until 6 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 2 and include Crittenden and Craighead counties in Arkansas; Lauderdale, Tipton, Haywood, Shelby and Fayette counties in Tennessee and DeSoto, Marshall and Benton counties in Mississippi.
The National Weather Service said ice accumulations of 1⁄10 to 3⁄10 of an inch, with sleet accumulations up to a half inch are possible.
Power outages and tree damage are likely, the NWS said, adding that “travel could be nearly impossible.”
The National Weather Service strongly discouraged travel, but said that those who must travel should include an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicles in case of emergency.
Freezing rain and sleet are likely Tuesday night, with ice accumulation of 1⁄10 to ¼ of an inch, little to no sleet accumulation, and temperatures in the mid-20s.
There’s a slight chance of snow and sleet Wednesday morning, with a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to reach a high of mid-30s.
Rain and freezing rain are likely Wednesday night, with a slight chance of snow, and ice accumulation up to a tenth of an inch. Little to no snow accumulation is expected. Temperatures are expected to be in the lower 30s.
Rain and freezing rain are likely Thursday morning, with rain likely in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to reach a high of upper 30s.
At 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Memphis Light, Gas and Water reported more about 1,000 outages throughout Memphis and Shelby County, down from 5,000 earlier in the day.
MLGW said that the areas most impacted were inside the Interstate 240 loop.
Tree limb damage was the primary cause of outages.
According to MLGW, the main concern currently is ice causing tree limbs to break and take out electric wires, poles, etc.
“The temperatures are not low enough for water to be a concern at this time,” MLGW said. “Customers should prepare for electric outages should ice accumulation continue.”
The MLGW Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, has been rescheduled to Friday, Feb. 10.
Customers who don’t plan to attend the meeting in person can submit questions via email to corpcomm@mlgw.org by 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9. The email should include the customer’s full name, physical address and question(s), and “February 10, 2023 Board Meeting” in the subject line.
Greenlaw Community Center, 190 Mill Ave., will serve as a warming center until 8 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2. More information is here.
For a list of city offices closed, click here.
Topics
National Weather Service Memphis weather winter weatherKylah Strickland-Paige
Kylah Strickland-Paige is a New Jersey native in Memphis by way of Southern California. She’s an abstract artist, author and online bookseller. When she isn’t writing or reading, she is in the kitchen fixing Caribbean dishes with her spouse and four kids. She graduated from the University of Memphis with a B.A in history.
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