A winter storm brought roughly 1 inch of snow to Starkville and throughout the Golden Triangle, causing Mississippi State University’s Starkville campus to close Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
MSU Communications Director Sid Salter announced MSU would close in caution as a result of poor road conditions in Starkville.
“’Black ice’ on road and bridge surfaces that are unlikely to melt because of protracted hours of sub-freezing temperatures are the primary concern,” Salter said. “Students, faculty and non-essential staff are urged not to attempt to drive in these conditions.”
According to the Mississippi Highway Patrol, many roads in Starkville and the surrounding area had iced over, which caused extremely hazardous driving conditions. These icy conditions resulted in several accidents on Blackjack Road Tuesday night, causing it to be closed from the Traffic circle to The Pointe apartment complex.
With the weather came an opportunity for students and staff to play in the snow.
One of the many students playing in the snow was Locke Burrell. The junior mechanical engineering major from Amory, brought her dog, Blair, out for her first snowfall. Burrell said the snow was exciting because it rarely snows in Starkville.
“[Blair] has never experienced snow before, so this is her first snow,” Burrell said. “She’s having a really good time.”
As for plans about how they would deal with the snow, Burrell said she was thinking about something warm.
“We probably plan on drinking coffee,” Burrell said. “Then just hang out here (on campus) and go study.”
It was not just dogs who experienced snow for the first time Tuesday. Narendra Mallela, a Program Analyst in the Information Technology department, from India, said the cold weather and snow were a new experience for him.
Mallela said he was not necessarily used to Starkville’s temperatures, as opposed to in his native home in India.
“Back home, it’s too hot,” Mallela said. “Even our cold would be around 60 or 70, so you can think of how cold it would be for us.”
Mallela said he planned on sharing the moment with his family in India.
“We plan on hanging out and taking pics, and sending them to family back home (in India),” Mallela said.
Temperatures on Friday are expected to reach near 50 degrees, which will improve road conditions even more than the improvements from Thursday. By the weekend, however, Starkville will have highs reaching the 60s.