Much-needed rain drenches area
Published 12:00 pm Tuesday, October 27, 2015
With more rain predicated for today, Oxford will be quite water-logged after much-needed rain made its way into the area finally on Sunday.
And it’s a good rain, says Lafayette County Emergency Management Coordinator David Shaw.
“It’s just the right kind of rain that we need right now,” he said Monday. “It’s a slow, soaking rain.”
The county was put under a burn ban last week due to the overly dry conditions in the county. Gov. Phil Bryant lifted the statewide burn ban on Monday.
Bryant lifted the prohibition at the request and advice of the Mississippi Forestry Commission, which will continue to monitor conditions and issue updates on burn bans as needed.
Even though the statewide burn ban is no longer in effect, officials note that local jurisdictions still have the authority to issue burn bans, and residents should confirm with their local governments whether a ban is in place prior to engaging in outdoor burning.
The recent rains are a welcome sight for many.
“The ground has been dry so long, it’s going to take a lot of rain to completely saturate it,” said Oxford Emergency Manager Jimmy Allgood.
Some local areas have received about 2 inches since the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
“There could be another inch through Wednesday,” said NWS meteorologist Zach Maye.
Maye said things will dry up Thursday until a new storm system moves into the area on Saturday.
The recent rains are remnants from Hurricane Patricia after it moved over Mexico.
“A low pressure system developed in the Gulf from the remnants of the storm and it’s pushing all this moisture up,” Maye said.
Allgood and Shaw said they’ve had no reports of any damage or flooding.
“We’re not getting the large amounts of rain they are in the southern part of the state,” Allgood said. “We’ve had some reports of leaves stopping up some drain pipes but that’s about it.”
Shaw said he’s happy to see the rain finally.
“We absolutely needed it,” he said