On Jan. 14, 2024, Mississippi’s Governor, Tate Reeves, issued a State of Emergency in anticipation of the winter weather that was expected to impact the state. The Oxford School District along with the Lafayette County School District and Regents School of Oxford, was closed from Jan. 15, 2024 to Jan. 23, due to a severe winter storm.
“The state of Mississippi is proactively taking steps to prepare for freezing temperatures and severe winter weather,” Reeves said. “By declaring this State of Emergency, we can mobilize state assets, and better support response and recovery efforts. All Mississippians in the impacted areas are encouraged to take precautions.”
Throughout the week, citizens were encouraged by Lafayette County and the City of Oxford not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary due to the road conditions. Between Jan. 15 and Jan. 22 the Oxford Police Department responded to nearly 50 wrecks. In the state, 29 injuries and 12 deaths have been reported to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency since Jan. 14. According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, there was ice reported in 69 Mississippi counties. This was largely due to the fact that the average daily temperature did not rise above a freezing level until Jan. 22.
“This State of Emergency allows the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to move assets throughout the state to support local governments in preparation for, response to, and recovery from
Emergency Management Agency. “Governor Reeves directed all state agencies to discharge their emergency responsibilities as deemed necessary and set forth in Mississippi’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.”
A winter storm of this degree and intensity is an anomaly in Oxford, Miss.. Many locals were extremely surprised at the volume of snow and ice that stuck Because many Oxfordians do not have proper snow equipment such as four-wheel drive, chains, snow tires, or snow plows getting around Oxford was difficult. Instead of receiving fluffy snow, Oxford received sleet and ice that developed into a 3 to 4-inch ice sheet. This made it quite difficult to plow. Many did not leave their neighborhoods for the entire duration of the winter storm in fear of spinning out on the frozen roads. This inclimate weather kept many Oxford students from being able to work their jobs for several days. This likely had an adverse effect on families who are reliant on going to work in person to receive their incomes.
The University of Mississippi extended their winter break for students due to this inclimate weather. Instead of returning to classes as they originally planned to on Jan. 22, their first day back was postponed to Jan. 25. This class time will not be made up. In an email sent to all University of Mississippi students, Chancellor Glenn Boyce strongly advised students to delay their return to Oxford until Jan. 23 at the earliest.
“Hazardous conditions and extreme temperatures continue with the current forecast predicting temperatures to remain below freezing until Sunday,”
Boyce said. “University facilities crews need sustained
above-freezing temperatures and space to operate in order to effectively clear a layer of ice covering roads, parking lots, and sidewalks on campus.”
In a monthly newsletter sent to all Oxford High students, Principal Dana Bullard shared that all events that have been rescheduled due to the snow storm can now be viewed on the OHS Activities and Testing calendar.
Some meteorologists are already predicting a return of this snowy weather in mid-February. The Weather Almanac finds that it is likely for snow storms to occur in the South from Feb. 10 to Feb. 18. Predictions similar to this one have caused many to question if another State of Emergency will be declared in just a few weeks.
OHS students had mixed reactions to being given this impromptu period of time off from school. No virtual options were offered to students in re
placement of in-person classes during these “snow days.” Oxford senior, Sneha Majumdar, was particularly pleased with how the district responded to this winter storm.
“It was honestly nice to have some extra time off from school,” Majumdar said. “I got more time to spend on filling out college applications and getting ahead on my school work. Even though there were a lot of events that had to be rescheduled, it was nice to have an unexpected break.”
Despite being thrilled at the opportunities to go sledding and spend time with friends, OHS senior Graham Sherman is slightly worried at the thought of so much missed class time.
“I definitely loved having extra time off from school, but for those of us who are taking AP classes, the winter storm lost us a week of review time. Those days will never be made up so we now have less time until the AP tests in May. Especially for more of the fast-paced AP classes, missing this much school would most definitely have a detrimental effect on AP students.”
While the unexpectedness of this break was enjoyable, many students were ready to get back into their normal weekly routine by the time it was safe to return.
“Once it got to the Monday of our second week off, Jan. 22., I was kind of ready to go back to school again,” Majumdar said.
