Mississippi temps rise above freezing; one death linked to cold weather

January 9, 2014 admin News Comments Off on Mississippi temps rise above freezing; one death linked to cold weather
In this photo provided by the University of Mississippi, Vijayasankar Raman, an exchange visitor from Tamilnadu, India, covers his face with his hands to keep warm while walking on the universit campus Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 7 2014, in Oxford, Miss. Raman is in his fourth year working as a botanist at the National Center for Natural Products Research on the Ole Miss campus and has not yet acclimated to the colder winters here. (AP Photo/University of Mississippi Communications, Robert Jordan)
In this photo provided by the University of Mississippi, Vijayasankar Raman, an exchange visitor from Tamilnadu, India, covers his face with his hands to keep warm while walking on the universit campus Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 7 2014, in Oxford, Miss. Raman is in his fourth year working as a botanist at the National Center for Natural Products Research on the Ole Miss campus and has not yet acclimated to the colder winters here. (AP Photo/University of Mississippi Communications, Robert Jordan)
In this photo provided by the University of Mississippi, Vijayasankar Raman, an exchange visitor from Tamilnadu, India, covers his face with his hands to keep warm while walking on the universit campus Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 7 2014, in Oxford, Miss. Raman is in his fourth year working as a botanist at the National Center for Natural Products Research on the Ole Miss campus and has not yet acclimated to the colder winters here. (AP Photo/University of Mississippi Communications, Robert Jordan)

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) — Temperatures in Mississippi rose above freezing for the first time in days on Wednesday, but recent record-breaking lows are being blamed for a man’s death, low water pressure for an entire town and damage at Mississippi State University.

Mississippi has been experiencing freezing temperatures since Sunday night, with many areas breaking daily record lows on Tuesday, said Joanne Culin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson.

Culin said temperatures rose above freezing in most, if not all of the state, on Wednesday, but would dip back down overnight. The weather will continue warming in coming days, and could reach the 60s or 70s by Saturday, she said.

The east Mississippi town of Quitman experienced low water pressure on Wednesday, but authorities said the schools, hospital and nursing home there either had bottled water available or backup water systems.

Clarke County Emergency Management Director Eddie Ivy said Wednesday that the motor went out on Quitman’s main well and the backup system didn’t appear to be working properly. He said the weather was likely to blame.

Crews were working Wednesday to repair the water system for the town of about 2,300 residents, some 25 miles south of Meridian. Residents were urged to conserve water, and a boil-water notice was expected, Ivy said.

At least one death in Mississippi has been blamed on the freezing weather. Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove told The Associated Press on Wednesday that 59-year-old James Hooker of Sioux Falls, S.D., was found dead in a tent in Gulfport on Monday. Hargrove said an autopsy confirmed on Tuesday that the man died of hypothermia.

The weather also was blamed for ruptured water pipes around the state, including in three residence halls at Mississippi State University.

MSU spokesman Sid Salter has said the most extensive damage was reported in Ruby Hall, which opened in 2005, and houses 412 students. The damage came from a ruptured fire sprinkler system in an area of the third floor that houses male students.

Oak Hall and Magnolia Hall, the two newest housing facilities on campus, also were damaged by broken pipes, Salter said.

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