Desoto County News

Winter weather in DeSoto County

This page is updated as new information is made available.

TUESDAY, FEB. 23, 8 A.M.

Schools in DeSoto County returned to regular in-person session Tuesday. Both in-person and virtual classes were being held.

MONDAY, FEB. 22, 12 NOON

Garbage/recycle collection in unincorporated areas of DeSoto County will be back on regular schedule, according to county officials. Extra trucks are being used to help pick up garbage missed last week due to the snow storm.

SUNDAY, FEB. 21, 7 P.M.

Northwest Mississippi Community College campuses are closed Monday, as classes transition to virtual learning.

No in-person classes for DeSoto County Schools on Monday, Feb. 22. Distance learning only.

FRIDAY, FEB. 19, 8 P.M

The City of Olive Branch issued a Boil Water Notice for a subdivision in the city today, due to low water pressure. A Precautionary Boil Water notice is for Laurel Hill South , East, and West, in Plantation Subdivision. The city should have water sample results back, at the earliest, by Thursday, Feb. 25. This notice is only for those who lost pressure in this area.

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) vaccination site at the Landers Center for Saturday, Feb. 20 has been canceled. Appointments will be rescheduled throughout the next week at the same location and MSDH will inform those people of the new appointment date and time.

FRIDAY, FEB. 19, 11 A.M.

Note to parents of DeSoto County Schools students regarding the status of classes on Monday:

FRIDAY, FEB. 19, 10 A.M.

From the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department: State Highway 305 is back open. Roadway between Bethel and College roads had been closed with icy surfaces.

View from Mississippi Highway Patrol. State Highway 302 at I-269, east of Olive Branch.

FRIDAY, FEB. 19, 9 A.M.

Drivers License Bureaus in Nesbit and Olive Branch remain closed today due to the inclement weather.

From the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the view of I-55 in DeSoto County this morning. Continue to drive cautiously if you have to drive at all today.

I-55 in DeSoto County (Courtesy MHP)

FRIDAY, FEB. 19, 8 A.M.

From the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department: Highway 305 between Bethel Road and College Road is at stand still, according to the department. Drivers are asked to avoid the area.  

Overnight, westbound I-269 between Craft and Getwell was shut down due to ice, as was westbound Church Road between Craft and Pleasant Hill.  Both stretches of road was back open, however.  

THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 8 P.M.

Road update from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department: I-55 northbound entrance ramp from Goodman Road is now open, but still hazardous due to ice on the road. 

Northbound and southbound lanes of traffic on Airways Road between Goodman and Church are covered in ice. 

Highway 305 south of Byhalia Road is also covered in ice. 

Multiple entrance & exit ramps are covered and roads at most intersections are slick making it hard to stop and start.

Waste Connections has announced it will not pick up garbage on Friday, Feb. 19. Regular collections will resume on Monday, Feb. 22 and the plan is to collect both next week’s and this week’s garbage at the same time.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 7 P.M. 

I-22 in Marshall County at the Victoria exit has been closed until further notice by MDOT and the Mississippi Highway Patrol due to ice on the roadway. Traffic is being detoured onto state Highway 178. Drivers are to stay off the roadway until the icy conditions improve.  

Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers are reporting black ice across the majority of the Troop E-Batesville coverage area at this time. That area includes DeSoto County. You are asked to postpone travel if at all possible.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 6 P.M. 

From the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department: I-55 NORTHBOUND ON RAMP FROM GOODMAN RD IS CLOSED DUE TO ICE ON THE ROAD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE USE ALTERNATE ROUTE.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 3 P.M.

DeSoto County offices and the COVID-19 vaccination site at the Landers Center are again closed Friday due to the weather. Appointments for Friday have been moved to the same times on March 7.

From the DeSoto E911 Commission:

DeSoto County 911 centers are still experiencing some intermittent connection issues with 911 calls. At this time the phone company (AT&T) has located a point in their internal network that was damaged by the winter storm and their technicians are working to repair it as quickly as possible in these inclement weather conditions. Many of the connection issues have been resolved at this point, however we are still experiencing some connectivity issues with calls from cellular devices not getting through. We are working diligently with the AT&T technicians and have notified the cellular carriers to check for possible internal issues within their networks. DeSoto County 911 will notify when these issues are fully resolved, but until such time, use these emergency numbers if you’re unable to get through on 911.

City of Southaven – (662) 393-0228

City of Olive Branch – (662) 895-4111

City of Horn Lake – (662) 393-6174

City of Hernando – (662) 469-5550

DeSoto County Sheriff, Fire, and EMS – (662) 469-8027

Now comes the cold. The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Advisory that includes DeSoto County from 12 midnight tonight to 9 a.m. Friday morning. It will include portions of North Mississippi and West Tennessee, where wind chills as low as zero are expected. The Winter Weather Advisory issued earlier today has been canceled.

The map shows the 24 hour snowfall recorded through the National Weather Service for the period through 6 a.m. Thursday morning.

Snowfall map for Mid-South. (Courtesy National Weather Service – Memphis)

THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 9 A.M.

The National Weather Service has downgraded the Winter Storm Warning to a Winter Weather Advisory, which is in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday evening.

THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 7:30 A.M.

Good morning! Another snowy day in DeSoto County. The winter storm warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. this evening in DeSoto County.

The U.S. Postal Service this morning announced it has temporarily suspended operations in ZIP Codes that include 386.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 9 P.M.

The City of Hernando has announced that city offices are closed for the inclement weather. For emergencies that require the assistance of Public Works, call 662-429-9322. Law enforcement and emergency services are not affected. They may be reached at 662-429-9096.

Olive Branch City Hall and other City Administration Buildings are closed Thursday and Friday of this week. Emergency Services will not be affected.

Southaven City Hall and other non-emergency public facilities will be closed Thursday, Feb. 18.

Horn Lake City Hall and Court will be closed on Thursday, Feb. 18. All City of Horn Lake non-public safety, non-emergency operations will be closed due to road conditions. Waste Connections will not be running Trash pickup service on Thursday, Feb, 18,

DeSoto County Government earlier announced that it would be closed on Thursday, Feb. 18.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 7:30 P.M.

This is why you should not be out driving in this weather. This photo is from the Mississippi Highway Patrol of the I-55/I-269 interchange near Hernando tonight. Stay at home if at all possible, or drive very cautiously if you have to.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 5 P.M.

Once again, vaccinations have been canceled for Thursday at the Landers Center MSDH COVID-19 site. Appointments for vaccinations Thursday have been automatically moved to March 6. CLICK HERE for more information.

Some photos from Stateline Road in Southaven near the AWG plant as DeSoto County road crews have been helping keep the roads and the distribution plant open.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 4 P.M.

Northpoint Christian School will continue virtual learning through Friday, Feb. 19. The campus will remain closed and TrojanCare will also remain closed. Northpoint will return to campus on Monday, Feb. 22.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 1:30 P.M.

It has been announced that the MHSAA 6A boys’ basketball playoff game with Warren Central at Olive Branch will be played Sunday afternoon, Feb. 21, at 3 p.m. in Olive Branch. A revised schedule from MHSAA has girls’ first round basketball playoff games on Monday, Feb. 22 and boys’ first round games on Tuesday, Feb. 23. CLICK HERE for the release from MHSAA.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 10 A.M.i

You should be getting mail today. From the U.S. Postal Service: Post Offices within the three-digit ZIP Code areas 386, 387, 388, 389 and 397 have resumed normal operations. However, hours of operation may vary depending on weather conditions.

Mississippi Highway Patrol reports I-22/I-269 ramps near Olive Branch in both directions are impassable at this time. Please seek alternative routes.

Officials report the roadway is now reopened although traffic may be just one lane on the bridges.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 9:40 A.M.

Good morning! DeSoto County Schools has just announced that instruction will be virtual the rest of the week. There will be no in-person instruction through Friday.

Here are some photos from the Mississippi Highway Patrol of road conditions on I-269 this morning. Drive carefully if you have to drive, no just don’t drive at all.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 8 P.M.

Here’s a look at the latest Winter Storm Warning graphic. The National Weather Service expects snow to begin as early as tonight, spreading into the Mid-South throughout the day tomorrow. A wintry mix is forecast, mainly south of Interstate 40 where sleet and freezing rain are most likely.

TUESDAY, FEB 16, 6 P.M.

Southaven City Hall and other non-emergency public facilities will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 17. The city will provide an update regarding sanitation services and soon as we receive one from Waste Connection.

Southaven Municipal Court will not be in session on Wednesday, Feb. 17.

-If you have retained a private attorney, please contact your attorney for your new court date. -If you do not have an attorney or if you have a public defender, you will receive a letter with your new court date. Letters will be mailed to the address in file with the Court, so if you have moved, you need to contact the Court Department to provide an updated address. Call our offices with this information when we re-open. You can also find your new court date at www.southaven.org/courtrecords.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 5:30 P.M.

All Northwest Mississippi Community College campuses will be closed for the rest of this week due to inclement weather and classes transition to virtual learning. Students are to check their Canvas for specific instructions from their instructors and monitor social media for updates.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 4 P.M.

DeSoto County Schools has announced there will be no in-person school tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 17, which now becomes a distance learning day district-wide.

DeSoto County offices and the state vaccination site at the Landers Center is closed again tomorrow due to the impending storm. No makeup date for the vaccinations has been set at this time. Check the Mississippi State Department of Health website and social media for further information.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 3:30 P.M.

Round two of the winter weather event has officially begun, as the National Weather Service in Memphis has issued a Winter Storm Warning from 12 midnight tonight to 6 p.m. Thursday. Total snow accumulations of 3-5 inches are expected and ice accumulations of up to three-tenths of an inch.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 2 P.M.

Northpoint Christian School has announced it will be closed for in-person learning on Wednesday, Feb. 17 and Thursday, Feb. 18. Students are to shift to remote learning both days.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 1 P.M.

Northpoint Christian School girls basketball tournament game vs. Fayette Academy, scheduled for this afternoon at 4 p.m., has been canceled for today.

Kroger has announced that due to the weather, all Mississippi Kroger locations will close at 6 p.m. this evening. Most stores will re-open tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 9 A.M.

Mail service is being suspended temporarily today in ZIP Codes that begin in 386 due to the winter weather, as reported in a news release from the U.S. Postal Service.

Electric and gas service companies are asking customers to dial back on excessive energy service during our winter weather. CLICK HERE for information from Atmos Energy. Entergy Mississippi issued information on the winter storm last evening. CLICK HERE for the release.

Northcentral Electric Cooperative reported only scattered outages in DeSoto County early morning on Monday.

“We had a large outage in Marshall County with a broken pole on Cayce Road that knocked out power to almost 1,900 members around 6 a.m.,” said spokesman Michael Bellipanni. “Through some switching operations, we quickly restored power to all but 94 members. This was an extended outage due to the difficult conditions, location of the pole and number of attachments on the pole. Power was restored to all shortly after 4 p.m.”

The Mississippi Highway Patrol reports it has responded to nearly 700 accidents in the state since the storm began. The total includes 46 accidents in the Troop E area of Batesville that includes DeSoto County.

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 8 A.M.

Good morning! Temperatures overnight were at or just above zero in the Mid-South with wind chills in the single digits beloqw zero. The National Weather Service in Memphis provided this update on the weather situation at 7 a.m.

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 9 P.M.

Get ready for round two! The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch from late Tuesday night through Thursday afternoon for mixed precipitation of 2-4 inches and ice accumulations of around two-tenths of an inch possible. The current Wind Chill Advisory for the Mid-South, including DeSoto County, remains in effect until 12 noon Tuesday.

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 7 P.M.

The City of Olive Branch city offices will be closed Tuesday, Feb. 16, due to the weather and treacherous roads. The city reports that Waste Connections will not be collecting garbage Tuesday, as well.

Southaven City Offices will also be closed tomorrow due to the weather.

Former DeSoto County Schools Supt. Milton Kuykendall said on his Facebook page that he had received 4.5 inches of snow on his farm in the Love community, south of Hernando.

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 4 P.M.

The Mississippi State Department of Health has canceled all drive-through vaccination appointments for Tuesday, Feb. 16, due to the weather, with the exception of Harrison County. The Landers Center location will not be operating. Any vaccination appointments for Tuesday are being rescheduled and those people are being notified.

911 lines at the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department are now down. In case of an emergency, please call 662-469-8027 if you live in DeSoto County.

UPDATE: 911 emergency lines are now back functioning. If you have problems getting through, you may continue to call dispatch at 662-469-8027 for DeSoto County residents.

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 3 P.M.

Olive Branch snow total, according to Weather Mayor meteorologist Sam Rikard, is at 4.25 inches as of 3 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Advisory until 12 noon Tuesday for an area that includes DeSoto County. The Winter Storm Warning in effect will expire at 12 midnight Monday night.

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 1:15 P.M.

DeSoto County Schools have announced that classes with NOT be in session on Tuesday, Feb. 16 due to winter weather. This applies to both in-person and virtual instruction. Northpoint Christian School has already canceled classes and TrojanCare for Tuesday.

DCS parents should be aware of the following information provided regarding future off days from school.

DeSoto County Schools information regarding future inclement weather days this week.

DeSoto County Government Monday issued a Proclamation of Emergency as part of the state emergency declaration for the winter storm and cold temperatures.

All Mississippi Department of Public Safety License Bureaus, including Nesbit and Olive Branch, are closed Tuesday due to the winter storm.

The City of Southaven announced an inclement weather policy for drivers to follow if they are in an accident that results in minor or no injuries.

Southaven Police Inclement Weather Policy.

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 12:45 P.M.

Northpoint Christian School has announced that school will NOT be in session Tuesday, Feb. 16, This will include TrojanCare. Monday’s TSSAA tournament basketball game with Fayette Academy was tentatively moved to Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. in the Northpoint gymnasium.

The City of Hernando reported that all roads in the city are extremely slick and residents are urged not to travel.

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 11:25 A.M.

According to meteorologist Sam Rikard, known as the Weather Mayor, Olive Branch has received snow/sleet accumulation of 3.25 inches as of 11 a.m. this morning. WREG-TV meteorologist Wendy Nations, reporting from Southaven this morning, measured 3.75 inches of snow.

The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department is reporting road conditions as hazardous and dangerous to travel on. Drivers are urged to use extreme caution and stay home if you don’t have to travel.

Go to MDOTTraffic.com for road conditions across the state of Mississippi.

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 7:25 A.M.

Roadways, bridges and overpasses are iced over, with more accumulation expected throughout the day. Please use extreme caution if you must travel today.

Waste Connections WILL NOT run garbage routes today, Monday, February 15th, due to road conditions.

Here are a couple of photos from Hernando this morning, courtesy of DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Tish Clark Dunning.

And one tongue-in-cheek view that indicates just how cold it is outside… frozen pants on the front lawn!

SUNDAY, FEB. 14, 4:30 P.M.

A state of emergency was declared in Mississippi Sunday for winter weather.

COVID-19 vaccinations will not take place at the Landers Center on Monday. All appointments have been automatically moved to Monday, Feb. 21 at the same times as on Monday.

The Mississippi High School Activities Association has canceled all first-round playoff basketball games in the state that were scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. They have all now been moved to Thursday, Feb. 18 for girls and Friday, Feb. 19 for boys. Any makeup games will be played on Saturday, Feb. 20.

SUNDAY, FEB. 14, 1:45 P.M.

SATURDAY, FEB. 13 – 8:30 P.M.

DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department reports that bridges and overpasses on I-69 westbound in the county had begun to accumulate slick precipitation and urged drivers’ caution when traveling on the roadway.

SATURDAY, FEB. 13 – 3:15 P.M.

Winter weather has begun to return to the Mid-South and it will come in hard, heavy, and cold. 

The National Weather Service Saturday issued a Winter Storm Warning from 12 noon Sunday to 12 midnight Monday night for an area that includes DeSoto County. 

Winter precipitation is expected to fall across the Mid-South, which will start as light wintry precipitation as early as Sunday morning. In the afternoon, heavier amounts are expected to begin fall and spread into the event. After a brief lull, a second round of heavier precipitation moves into the Mid-South on Monday.  

According to NWS, total snow and sleet accumulations of 5-7 inches and ice accumulations of a light glaze can be expected. Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Cold wind chills as low as zero are forecast, which would result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken.  

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