Heavy Snow — Rankin, Mississippi

2010-02-11 to 2010-02-12 · Rankin, Mississippi

Event narrative

Over 6 inches of snow fell across portions of Rankin County, with 6.5 inches reported just north of Brandon.

Wider weather episode

Heavy snow affected a large portion of the region, especially locations across central and southern Mississippi, on Thursday night and Friday, February 11th and 12th. The heavy snow was a result of a low pressure system that tracked eastward across the northern Gulf of Mexico, and a vigorous upper level disturbance that moved across the region while a cold air mass was in place. Light precipitation overspread the region late Thursday afternoon into the evening before becoming heavy Thursday night into early Friday morning. The snow tapered off from west to east during the midday hours Friday.

Northern portions of the area, including the Highway 82 corridor, received generally 1 inch or less of snow accumulation. Areas across central and southern parts of the forecast area received the greatest snowfall, with totals ranging mainly between 4 and 6 inches with locally higher amounts.

At the National Weather Service office, a total of 4.7 inches of snow fell during the event. This is the 2nd largest February snowfall event and the 10th overall largest snowfall event on record. This heavy snow event was not just a local event. Heavy snow spanned a large portion of the South with a substantial swath of 3 to 6 inches which fell from north-central Texas through north and central Louisiana, central and southern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 216178. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.