Vicksburg drenched; more on the way

Published 12:00 am Sunday, August 2, 2009

Drenching storms passed through Warren County Saturday, prompting a rash of minor fender-benders in the city and raining out Governor’s Cup youth baseball games. Thunderstorms are in the forecast again today.

More than a third of the usual rainfall for the entire month fell in just over an hour Saturday afternoon. But, no major injuries or damage resulted from the storm, which dumped nearly 1.5 inches of rain at Halls Ferry Park between 3:45 and 5 p.m., city weather gauges recorded. Another small burst of rain was recorded between 6 and 7 p.m.

In the southern part of the city, the Wastewater Treatment plant on Rifle Range Road saw just under an inch of rain from the storm, but the Vicksburg Airport recorded about 1.3 inches.

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What was an inconvenience to some proved a blessing to others.

“It was actually a gift,” said Holly Kennedy, store manager at the Gap at the Outlets at Vicksburg. “The Governor’s Cup was in town and, when their games were rained out, we saw the traffic come over here to us. The rain didn’t affect us at all — in fact, it helped.”

The Gap, like other clothing stores in the city, was receiving a lot of business due to the first-ever Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday, which started Friday and ran through midnight Saturday.

Storm-related activity in other areas of the city was less advantageous.

“We’ve had a lot of minor wrecks today,” said Vicksburg police Sgt. Beverly Prentiss around 7 p.m. as she came off her shift. “I heard one report of a tree down near the 3100 block of Wisconsin Avenue, but we had no injuries or major disturbances.”

A tree was also down on Interstate 20 near Bovina, Prentiss said, and some drivers were reporting inches of water across various parts of U.S. 61, both north and south.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said water had covered some roads in the county and a few limbs were down, but the rain caused no major damage.

The afternoon thunderstorms and heavy rains caused the postponement of at least 20 youth baseball games. They are tentatively scheduled for make-up today beginning at 8 a.m.

It may be wishful thinking, though.

The National Weather Service is forecasting more thunderstorms and rain today, along with temperatures above 90 degrees and a heat index of 99. Projected new rainfall amounts of a quarter to a half inch are forecast. Skies are forecast to being clearing by tonight.

Average total rainfall for Vicksburg for the month of August is 3.12 inches, according to the National Weather Service. In July, 10.49 inches of rain was recorded in Vicksburg, about three times more than the normal rainfall of 3.45 inches for the month.

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Contact Pamela Hitchins at phitchins@vicksburgpost.com