DESOTO COUNTY, MS (abc24.com) - DeSoto County crews are bracing for a long night. Sleet started around 11 a.m. Monday in north Mississippi. It was enough to force schools to let out early. DeSoto, Tunica and Lafayette counties all dismissed students hours ahead of time.
"We're dead center of the line to get up to 1/10 of an inch of ice," says EMA chief Bobby Story.
The county's not playing around with the freezing forecast.
"We've got different trucks set up with sand and some salt where we need them," adds road manager Andy Swims.
Crews are dispersed throughout the county. Trucks are filled to the brim and drivers are ready to release their cargo if needed.
"We're sitting on go, just ready to put it into motion as soon we see any weather," Swims tells abc24.com. "Hopefully if we're lucky it will be in the daylight hours and not overnight."
The worst of the storm is expected to hit after dark. Freezing rain is forecasted to last through 8 a.m. Tuesday.
DeSoto County's Emergency Management Agency is telling everyone to please stay home.
"I just need everyone to understand even though it's rain now or looks wet, it could be frozen if you go back over that same place 15 minutes later," Storey says.
If the forecast holds, emergency workers will have their hands full. "There's a lot that goes on this other than roads being frozen," he says. "If we do get that much ice, we could lose some power lines and power poles and have trees down."
If you need to report a problem with power lines or trees, call your local fire department.
For parents and students wondering about school tomorrow, the county will make that call around 5 a.m. Tuesday.
