Winter Storm Cora was relatively kind to Oxford and Lafayette County—at least as kind as a winter storm can be.

The storm arrived late Thursday night, beginning with sleet and freezing rain before transitioning to snow early Friday morning. By 6 a.m., residents observed an average snowfall of about 3 inches. Some areas of the county received closer to 4 inches, while others saw around 2.5 inches.

Cora’s timing proved fortunate, as she arrived on a Friday, granting many people an unexpected three-day weekend. Local schoolchildren were especially thrilled since schools in Oxford and Lafayette County were closed for the day.

“The main thing that helped Lafayette County during this winter event was the high ground temperatures we had before the snow, along with a good wet snow layer that formed before sleet could accumulate,” explained Lafayette County Public Information Officer Beau Moore. “The next day, partly cloudy skies helped melt the snow naturally and fairly quickly.”

Moore noted there were no major accidents or stranded motorists due to the storm.

“Our road department treated the roads as we usually do,” he said. “We didn’t implement additional measures because we had been monitoring ground temperatures and the forecast, and we didn’t anticipate significant impacts to the roadways.”

Around 5 a.m., heavy snow caused Oxford roads to become slick. The Oxford Road Department promptly began plowing roads, while police officers erected barricades to block off Jefferson Avenue, 9th Street, and the steep hill on Bramlett Boulevard. Despite the icy conditions, the Oxford Police Department reported no major accidents and only three instances of stranded motorists.

Power outages were minimal. About 800 Oxford Utility customers lost power briefly on Friday afternoon due to fallen cedar tree limbs near Pat Lamar Park, but service was restored within an hour. Similarly, North East Mississippi Electric Power Association reported a few sporadic outages, mostly caused by fallen tree branches.