Video: School Closing Dilemma

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LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – When severe weather hits safety conditions are a main concern when dealing with motorists and driving safety. For many schools knowing when to close it doors can be a major dilemma. WCBI spoke with one Superintendant who says, trying to read the weather is not an exact science.

Lowndes County Schools Superintendant Lynn Wright says, “There were a lot of accidents going on and we couldn’t chance that with putting our buses on the road or asking our people to come in.”

Wright was up late keeping a close eye on weather patterns and the affects it can have on the area.

“I stayed up till about 1:00a.m. Watching the weather situation and set my alarm for four this morning. Our transportation supervisor Mr. James Patrick got up at four and we were going to stay in contact as he started monitoring some of the bus routes.”

In a span of 10 hours, anywhere from one to four inches of snow fell all across the south. With many rural schools through out the golden triangle, school buses would be the first vehicle on many of the rural roadways. But trying to plan for it is not an exact science.

According to Meteorologist Will Simmons, “Forecasting has come so far in the past several years. We can see systems from about a week away during severe weather season but things like this in the past 12 hours or so sometimes that can change very quickly.”

The wintry conditions have kept schools and some businesses closed but it didn’t keep a couple of kids from having a good time.

Student Rayne Phillips says, “Are you enjoying the day off of school? Yes it’s been really fun to make snow mans and walk around and throw snowballs.”

And as children enjoy an off day, forecasters and road management are gearing up for what comes next.

Simmons says, “We’re not used to driving in this type of weather but the big hazard is when slush develops and temperatures stay around freezing, when that happens you get ice.”

And with ice comes wrecks and power outages. So far road crews are busy laying down gravel to help with travel safety. They ask motorists to drive with caution and plan for extra drive time. With wet roadways and temperatures expecting to drop below freezing is sure to cause slippery conditions when drivers hit highways, over passes and bridges.

Categories: Local News

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