Snow pelts Mississippi as temperatures plunge in South

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Sleet and light snow fell in Mississippi, where a tour bus overturned on a slick road as lingering precipitation mixed with cold temperatures to send the Deep South into the freezer Wednesday, and forecasters said other places also could get a wintry mix.

After days of heavy rain and storms along a cold front, flurries left a thin layer of snow atop vehicles in western Mississippi overnight, and a Mississippi River bridge turned white in Greenville, Mississippi.

New outlets reported that several people were hurt when a tour bus overturned on a slick highway in DeSoto County, Mississippi, south of south of Memphis, Tennessee, where after-school activities were canceled because of the weather. The Mississippi Department of Transportation said there were reports of ice on roads and bridges in adjoining counties.

Light snow or freezing rain was possible as far south as northwest Alabama, officials said, but no accumulation was expected.

Low temperatures dropped into the 20s, and forecasters said the chilly weather will spread.

The National Weather Service issued a freeze warning for Louisiana through western Alabama as far south as the Gulf Coast from Wednesday night into Thursday. Forecasters say temperatures could drop into the upper 20s.

A flash flood watch remained in effect for north Georgia and the Carolinas, which forecaster say could get another 3 inches of rain.

With wind chills in New Orleans predicted to drop as low as 29 degrees, officials activated the city’s “freeze plan” Wednesday, arranging for free shelter at several locations for homeless people.

There was a different problem northeast of Atlanta, where officials were testing creek water after an estimated 188,000 gallons of storm runoff and sewage spilled out of a manhole in Forsyth County on Monday because of heavy rains.