Storm dumps snow across Mississippi

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JACKSON, Miss., Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A snowstorm that dumped as much as 4.5 inches of snow on parts of Mississippi Thursday caused the death of one person and prompted flood warnings.

Multiple bands of snow began to move across the state after midnight, bringing 1.7 inches of snow to Jackson, 3.5 inches to Madison and Star, and 4.5 inches to Ackerman, The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger reported.

"It looks like a little snow hurricane at times," said Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn. "It has kept training over Madison, Canton, Jackson, Pearl. ... They all have the highest snow totals because of that one band of snow. Clinton is two inches less. You can throw a rock from one side of I-220 to the other and it's a different story."

"We don't have any major reports of damage. Everybody's been doing a great job of heeding advice to go slow, or go to work late. MDOT is doing a great job on the bridges," Flynn said.

However, a fatal car crash on Highway 50 in Lowndes County may have been caused by weather conditions MEMA said.

About 196 Entergy Mississippi customers were without power at 11 a.m., down from the more than 1,500 earlier in the day, The Clarion-Ledger said.

National Weather Service meteorologists have warned against flooding, as the snow in most areas has already melted and the storm came after days of rain.

"There are numerous flood warnings in the area, and several waterways across the area remain at flood stage," meteorologist Daniel Lamb. Melting snow "could add to the [Pearl] river level, but it won't contribute significantly. But, it won't help," he said.