Mississippi crews restore power; 71,800 customers remain without service

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said utility companies have reduced outages to about 71,800 customers statewide, down from a peak of about 180,000, as crews continue restoration work following severe winter weather.

MEMA said a new cold front this weekend brought high winds that caused additional outages in some areas, including to lines that had been recently restored. Forty-one counties have submitted 560 requests for assistance, and the state continues to deploy requested personnel and resources to impacted counties, MEMA said in a Facebook post.

MEMA has received reports from 51 counties indicating 292 homes, 22 businesses and 10 farms have been damaged, destroyed or otherwise affected. The agency also reported 21 public roads sustained major damage and 63 sustained minor damage; those numbers are expected to fluctuate as damage assessments continue.

Temperatures remain in the teens, and MEMA said they are not expected to climb above freezing until sometime tomorrow afternoon and only briefly on Sunday. Eighty-four warming centers and shelters are open in 49 counties; MEMA directs residents to its website for locations. The agency said it has stockpiles of bottled water ready to deliver to communities experiencing water system problems while the Mississippi State Department of Health monitors systems through the state Emergency Operations Center. The Mississippi Department of Human Services reminded SNAP recipients who experienced power outages of more than four hours on Jan. 24, 2026, to apply for replacement benefits.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.