This week’s warmer temperatures and sunny skies were welcomed with open arms by Tate Countians after dealing with two winter storms, Uri and Viola, that dumped up to 18-inches of frozen precipitation in some areas.
Residents of Tate County spent the end of last week thawing out after the second storm moved out of Senatobia on Thursday, Feb. 18. But freezing temperatures and cloud cover remained, keeping roads iced over.
Several area officials said Tate County came out of both storms virtually unscathed even though there were reports of some barn roofs collapsing under the weight of snow. There were also reports of sporadic power outages in the Arkabutla area early last week, but those lines were repaired within a few hours.
Thousands of Mississippians remained without electricity last weekend as crews were working to restore power at the spots hardest hit by the winter storms. Entergy was reporting 35,740 outages in the state, including 15,835 in Hinds County, 3,888 in Copiah County and 1,334 in Madison County. Entergy services customers in 45 of Mississippi’s 82 counties.
According to the National Weather Service, at least 12-inches of sleet and snow and fell in some parts of Tate County and other areas in north Mississippi probably received more.
The winter storm virtually shut down most of the area. Senatobia City Hall and offices inside the Tate County Courthouse were closed almost all of last week. Both buildings reopened and resumed normal operations Monday, Feb. 22.
Several county roads were still covered with ice last weekend and residents were encouraged to stay home to allow the sun to melt and dry roads.
The Senatobia Police Department encouraged citizens on Facebook and other social media platforms to remain off streets until melting began after comparing many of the side streets in the city to a skating rink.
While the ice caused temporary inconveniences for motorists, it will cause a rash of potholes in the coming weeks and could cause long-term problems for road surfaces and roadbeds.
Small cracks in the pavement allow moisture from ice and snow to seep into the subgrade. When that water freezes, it expands. The repeated thawing during the day and refreezing at night can compromise the structure and stability of the roadbed.
City and county officials remind citizens to leave their garbage dumpsters on the street this week until they are emptied. The wintry weather caused problems for garbage trucks trying to maneuver through slick highways and rural roads across the area.
The winter storms also wreaked havoc on the United States Postal Service, which could not deliver mail locally last week.
A statement on the USPS website said operations were temporarily suspended at post offices within the three-digit zip codes starting with 386, 387, 388, and 389, including Senatobia and Coldwater.
The statement said USPS was expected to resume operations and its usual delivery schedule Monday, Feb. 22.
Many Senatobia business owners were forced to close their doors for several days to ride out the winter storms at home. Several aisles at local grocery stores were picked clean as the second winter storm hit the area Thursday, Feb. 18.
Many residents braved the icy, slick streets to load up on staples such as bread, milk and eggs. Both Walmart and Kaye’s Food Market in Senatobia were forced to alter their hours to accommodate shoppers.
Employees at both retail stores were busy restocking shelves last weekend after receiving trucks loaded with food and other supplies that were delayed due to icy roads.
Classes at Magnolia Heights, Senatobia and Tate County Schools resumed Monday, Feb. 22, after being cancelled all of last week.
