You’re just arguing to argue now and you have no idea what’s going on here. Typical.
This was Memphis by the way Monday morning.
I-55
- Thread starter preacher_dawg
- Start date
This was Memphis by the way Monday morning.
This is the ice/sleet line. To the southeast was almost all freezing rain and to the northwest it was sleet and then eventually snow north of Memphis.
Again, snow can be plowed.
This map looks like the OP's map. Not seeing what you think I'm arguing here. I'd say you're looking to blame someone for the plowing in those areas, and you need to be blaming the ice.
There's no way you can reasonably say that TateR and MDOT aren't doing all they can.
That’s sleet in the pictures in Memphis just like it was here. It could have been easily plowed Sunday and Monday but they chose not to do anything. They dropped the ball on this.
Right and now the top layer has melted and refrozen and it is ~3 inches of solid ice. Now we are going to have to wait for mother nature to take care of it and its going to be a while.
MDOT treating roads ahead of Winter Storm Fern
MDOT treating roads ahead of Winter Storm Fern
mdot.ms.gov
MDOT launches state's largest road pretreatment operation before Winter Storm Fern / w video
MDOT launches state's largest road pretreatment operation before Winter Storm Fern / w video
mdot.ms.gov
MDOT urges emergency travel only in wake of Winter Storm Fern / w video
MDOT urges emergency travel only in wake of Winter Storm Fern / w video
mdot.ms.gov
MDOT urges emergency travel only in wake of Winter Storm Fern / w video
MDOT urges emergency travel only in wake of Winter Storm Fern / w video
mdot.ms.gov
5.1M views · 57K reactions | ❄️ WINTER WEATHER UPDATE - 11:45 a.m. on 1/24/2026 MDOT is urging EMERGENCY travel only for motorists in areas heavily impacted by Winter Storm Fern. Ice is being reported on roads, bridges and overpasses in 26 counties.
❄️ WINTER WEATHER UPDATE - 11:45 a.m. on 1/24/2026 MDOT is urging EMERGENCY travel only for motorists in areas heavily impacted by Winter Storm Fern. Ice is being reported on roads, bridges and...
www.facebook.com
The whole point is that it wasn't plowed the first day. Now it's too late. DCD's point is that Memphis got what DeSoto County got, and yet Memphis roads are passable where DeSoto County roads are not. This is not because DeSoto got some magic precipitation type that can't be plowed. It's because they were asleep at the switch. Maybe they thought it was going to be all snow and miscalculated. Maybe they thought there wasn't going to be a lot and it would clear up quickly. Whatever happened, someone should be fired. It was pure negligence.
MDOT dropped the ball on this one big time. I've been working from home this week but my wife had to go into the office yesterday and today. She said there is huge difference between MS and TN road conditions. This morning most of the major roads are clear in TN.
Plowing isn't going to do much right now and with the interstates at a stand still there will not be any improvements till they are cleared. Conditions were not as bad on Monday because everyone was staying home and off the roads. When everyone thought it was somewhat safe and hit the roads the problem with the roads was compounded,
Where MS messed up is they did nothing during the storm. Every truck should have been out Saturday and Sunday treating the roads with salt. This would have prevented refreezing situation we are in now.
Plowing isn't going to do much right now and with the interstates at a stand still there will not be any improvements till they are cleared. Conditions were not as bad on Monday because everyone was staying home and off the roads. When everyone thought it was somewhat safe and hit the roads the problem with the roads was compounded,
Where MS messed up is they did nothing during the storm. Every truck should have been out Saturday and Sunday treating the roads with salt. This would have prevented refreezing situation we are in now.
That’s my point. It was easily plowed on Sunday and Monday when it was loose and still sleet. Now it’s just a solid sheet of ice
My suspicion is that MDOT played a little whack a mole…. They started using their resources to keep trees off the roads and didn’t have enough to tend to the sleet. The Memphis area didn’t have trees dropping and loss of power so they had the advantage of dealing with only one problem.
Sometimes it takes a terrible 17 up to uncover rampant incompetence. This may be that time for MDOT.
This no-doubt contributed. But it feels like they didn't have a plan, or if they did, it was pretty ill-conceived. They should have flooded state resources to the north in preparation for this. By 24 hours prior, we had a pretty clear picture of the areas in the crosshairs.
Watching the news in Jackson on Saturday they were showing video of trucks all over laying down saline etc in preparation. It sounds like that wasn't being done every where it should have been.
They said that all their “resources” went to the ice storm damage areas. You have an entire state of equipment and manpower you could have mobilized to do both at the same time.
Why exactly is that? Is it that they just don't ever spend very much time in that temperature zone that creates freezing rain but not snow??
Yeah.. maybe so. I just can’t be too critical of highway and utility companies right now. I don’t know how you prepare for something like this. You definitely don’t have it in your regular budget.. that’s for sure.
Maybe Hugh can weigh in.. but I suspect it’s because they’re too far north to ever have the warm air / cold air convergent zones like we experienced Saturday night.
I suspect all their equipment and manpower was being used somewhere. There's no way a warm weather state like MS can ever be fully prepared for something like this. Really I don't know if even the northern states could since they get so much more snow which is easier to deal with. Not sure how much ice they really get up there.
I don't like to pile on or speak negatively about state issues.....but here for the past several years, I simply can't help but think that MDOT has become less and less concerned with doing a good job.
*reasoning: I-55 in Jackson, areas of north Jackson, we have drainage inlets on side of interstae, and they show no interest whatsoever in keeping the inlets clean of debris.....during the right rain event, I have seen 2 lanes at night covered in ponding water. Then there are the interstate lights in Jackson (yes theft is an issue, but any redneck and his brother can make that junction theft proof).......and then the intersections they maintain......they can not even paint the new lines correctly and Meadowbrook is a prime example of them just not caring to do a job well and correct. End of my rant
Unacceptable that 55 northern areas are still in this condition
*reasoning: I-55 in Jackson, areas of north Jackson, we have drainage inlets on side of interstae, and they show no interest whatsoever in keeping the inlets clean of debris.....during the right rain event, I have seen 2 lanes at night covered in ponding water. Then there are the interstate lights in Jackson (yes theft is an issue, but any redneck and his brother can make that junction theft proof).......and then the intersections they maintain......they can not even paint the new lines correctly and Meadowbrook is a prime example of them just not caring to do a job well and correct. End of my rant
Unacceptable that 55 northern areas are still in this condition
This should NEVER EVER have been a "by daybreak Sunday" decision . If the school was going to err it should haved erred on the side of saftey . This storm was in no way a surprise. As for picking up students without cars before the storm I was talking specifically about those whose parents live within driving distance of the school.
Definitely been a 'cut cut cut' sort of culture around MDOT for a while. Muh wastefraudabuse kinda stuff. And yes that definitely could have contributed. So I'll give on that, and that lies at the feet of TateR. But I'm not blaming the folks out there doing the work - no way.
Ironically, Oxford used to have something similar to what you describe.
Got worse as you went south, as the map suggests. And no offense to Desoto County but it ain't even near the biggest problem. Folks in Oxford and in NEMS are straight up suffering right now.
I realize that it's worse in Oxford, professor. But the subject of this thread is I-55. In this thread we've been talking about the interstates leading into Memphis. Context is a concept you should look into.
There are number of abandoned cars on 55 in DeSoto county too with Panola, Tate, and DeSoto tags - Snow plows are going to have to work around those.
Many people may be without power still, but you're not finding a hotel now. And at some point you need to decide to bundle up and hunker down. Find your own nearby area warming shelter. Most every town has two or more designated spots.
The cold ain't going away anytime soon, but this will pass.
Many people may be without power still, but you're not finding a hotel now. And at some point you need to decide to bundle up and hunker down. Find your own nearby area warming shelter. Most every town has two or more designated spots.
The cold ain't going away anytime soon, but this will pass.
Do you think it MIGHT have something to do with MDOT trying to clear roads to enable power companies to get power back on? Lafayette, Pontotoc, Alcorn, Tippah, Benton, Tishomingo, Prentiss, Union, Lee, and several other counties had a LOT more to deal with than Desoto did.
I havent read all the replies here, but we were just able to get to someone with power and a place for decent cell signal so i could tether to the internet....I live in oxford and it is a complete CF.....there is no power, no water and no internet anywhere....not even sure what is being said in the news about North MS....in case anyone is wondering, the ice is melting and the roads are getting drivable, but the issue is no water and the hospital cant do required procedures without sufficient water pressure....the other issue is the power lines are down everywhere and instances in my neighborhood, the power poles are snapped in two....i read something about kids ....the dorms had power, lost it, got it again, and it was one big party until they announced classes were out till February 1, so they all high tailed it out of town....my daughter went with her roommate to Atlanta.....my son is hanging with his buds at OCC area and humble bragging about hanging with the Kiffin girls and getting LSU swag from the LB from LSU that dates one of them....so my wife and i have been watching 90s DVDS in front of a gas fireplace and playing twister 2-3x a day....good to see SPS and the internet finally today.
Likely, but it seems pretty obvious that keeping the major North/South interstate in the area passable would have to be really damn close to the top priority.
Well… goodness.. talk about closing the barn doors after the horse got out…
No shít Sherlock. I’m not discounting that. It should be and was top priority but it’s also apparent that Jackson held back resources that could have assisted the North District that got hammered. John Caldwell was practically begging Jackson to send more resources up here and they didn’t do it.
I hope yall showered before the twister game. Nothing worse than an orange and blue combo + teabag of dingy dingdong juice.
power washing the barefoot grime off a twister mat can enhance the chances of torn tendons. I do not recommend
I saw the national weather service posted this satellite image yesterday: The black area is ice.
Jackson has never really cared about North Miss, east and west. It's why most of us return the favor.
I blame Big Salt.*