A combination of rain, ice, sleet and snow accompanied by sub-freezing temperatures over a 12-hour period put a sheen of ice over cars, buildings and area roads, making driving treacherous for Vicksburg and Warren County residents.

The precipitation began Monday morning and soon changed to a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain that continued into late Monday night. The wintry mix left roads and streets covered with slush and ice and in some cases impassable.

City and county officials said streets and roads south of Interstate 20 were passable with few ice problems, while roads north of I-20 were in serious shape. Bridges on both sides of I-20, they said, were covered with ice. No roads were blocked or closed, officials said.

Kevin Coughran, a technician with the Mississippi Department of Transportation office in Vicksburg, said no serious problems were reported on state roads in the area.

The resulting bad road conditions forced local schools to close and city and county governments to shut down, with only essential employees reporting to work.

Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong and Warren Count Sheriff Martin Pace both advised residents to stay indoors and off the streets, and to be patient while waiting for emergency services responses during inclement weather.

“The response time from ambulance, fire and police will be reduced during those times,” Armstrong said. “The motoring public needs to realize that even if they are not the one who caused the accident, everyone else on the roadways are experiencing the same problems.”

Pace said the sheriff’s department worked double shifts Monday night and would continue to do so today.

Warren County District 5 Supervisor Richard George said the icy road problem north of I-20 “is so widespread that we just don’t have the equipment to keep up with it.” He said county road crews were trying to treat county bridges with ice and sand, “and conserving what we have for the more serious areas.”

Vicksburg Public Works Director Garnet Van Norman said street crews were out Monday night salting and sanding bridges to keep them open.

“We’re watching the weather. Hopefully when it gets warmer we’ll be able to get out and do some work on the bridges,” he said.

Vicksburg Street Department superintendent Skipper Whittington said crews were back out this morning salting and sanding bridges and working on streets in hilly areas so people could get out of their homes.

“We’re doing what we can to help people get out,” he said.