I’m one of those California warm-weather kind of people so there was no disappointment when the forecasted 2-inches of snow Tuesday morning did not materialize.

I understand how some could be a bit bummed that a significant snowfall didn’t hit our community, but I felt relieved.

Of course, some were likely more disappointed than myself, especially the professionals who were anticipating a white-out for central Mississippi.

The National Weather Service was very certain snow accumulations would hit our area as well as several locations in Mississippi.

The meteorologists in Jackson are usually accurate in their predictions and when the forecast increased the chance of snow accumulations to more than an inch, local authorities based their procedures on what information was given to them.

Here at The Vicksburg Post, we wrapped up the Tuesday edition a couple hours early so that our carriers could have the opportunity to deliver the paper without sliding all over the roadways that were expected to be snow-covered.

Several industries and schools also made arrangements based upon the information they had received, including the Vicksburg-Warren School District, which cancelled classes Tuesday.

It was the right call.

The school district runs several buses to pick up students all over Warren County. In addition, many high school students drive to campus. Driving on slick snow is not something many of us are used to and accidents can happen. 

I’m certain there were several parents not happy when the decision was made Monday afternoon to cancel classes in the school district. Some folks think the call to cancel classes was made too soon. That’s debatable. Afterall, many parents had to scramble to make arrangements for the care of their children since school wasn’t in session. I for one would rather have as much time as necessary to make those arrangements.

And when the snow didn’t materialize like it was anticipated, it certainly made parents even more upset.

Living in Mississipp, we don’t see snow as frequently as our neighbors in other areas of the nation so we may tend to overreact when a couple of inches of snow is forecast. And I’m sure folks in other areas of the county snicker at us in the South who are “freaking out” about a little snow. But I for one would rather error on the side of caution than have a tragedy develop that could have been prevented.

Besides being charged with educating the children of our community, VWSD is also responsible with doing the best they can to protect the students.

They made the right decision.

Rob Sigler is editor of The Vicksburg Post. You may reach him at Rob.Sigler@VicksburgPost.com.