Right now, forecasters are waiting to confirm some details of how Winter Storm Fern will hit the state.
But Eric Carpenter, senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said it has the potential to affect parts of Mississippi like the winter storm of February 2021.
"Some areas could experience those kind of conditions," he said. "The farther north you go in Mississippi, the more likely you have some chance to experience that."
In the meantime, he's hoping that even with that potential, this storm won't be nearly as bad. Carpenter expects the southern part of the state to experience only minor effects, with snow most likely between Clarksdale and Tupelo.
Central Mississippi poses a unique challenge, though, says Scott Simmons, Chief Communications Officer with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
"That cone of uncertainty in the central part of the state is what's so unnerving," Simmons told MPB. "Even if it's just freezing rain, the temperature will remain below freezing, which means that precipitation will freeze: there lies your black ice."
"There lies your trees that get ice on them or...rain, and then they freeze; the branches get heavier, they fall on power lines, and then [it's] kind of a cascading problem."
In the meantime, Simmons said that MEMA has been working with county and other state agencies to get ahead of the storm.
"We've tried to coordinate with those county emergency managers especially to make sure they have what they need," he said. "They are going to be opening warming centers in certain counties, places where people can go in the event that their homes lose power."
With roads, the Mississippi Department of Transportation is working over the next few days to also prepare beforehand and to be ready for any issues that come up over the weekend.
"The last few days we've been getting all of the equipment ready for snow and sleet and ice, along with all the material that will be needed to put out on our roadways and bridges," said Brad White, MDOT's executive director.
Preparation may difficult over the next few days, though.
"The rain that we're experiencing today and leading into tomorrow and into the storm itself has a negative impact in basically just washing away a lot of that pre-treatment material that we put out," White said.
White said that, as much as possible, folks should stay off the roads over the weekend. Simmons said before Friday, though, it's best to prepare for Saturday and Sunday— and for the cold to linger beyond the weekend, even if Monday and Tuesday are less severe.
"If the worst case scenario happens and you're iced in and you can't get out of your house, do you have enough water, canned foods, to last 72 hours?" Simmons said. "Say your power goes out: do you have a propane heating source that you could cook outside?"
