Ice Storm — Franklin, Mississippi

2021-02-17 to 2021-02-18 · Franklin, Mississippi

Event narrative

Freezing rain quickly accumulated on trees and power lines during the afternoon. Ice amounts ranged from around 0.25 inches in the eastern half of the county to around 0.40 inches in the western half. Numerous trees and power lines were downed by the weight of ice and caused widespread power outages especially in the western half of the county.

Wider weather episode

As an arctic air mass continued to build southward across the South on February 17th, another wave of precipitation overspread this cold air mass across much of Mississippi. The main impacts across central and southern portions of the state were from freezing rain and resulting heavy icing, but some significant accumulations of sleet and snow also occurred in areas mainly north and west of the Natchez Trace. Freezing rain continued through the evening hours, ending from west to east by the early morning of February 18th. Ice accumulated quickly in many locations and downed numerous trees, large limbs, and power lines across the affected areas. Several trees and limbs fell onto power lines, resulting in more widespread power outages as well. Some trees fell onto homes or cars, and significant amounts of ice, sleet, and snow collapsed a few gas station awnings and roofs where accumulations were greatest. In the hardest hit areas, extensive damage to trees and power lines took several months and cost several hundred thousands of dollars to clean up.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 943701. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.