What could have been a dangerous layer of ice turned out to bejust a light dusting for Southwest Mississippi, and institutionsclosed Monday will be back in business Tuesday morning.

A big ice storm that swept across Mississippi and much of theSouth Sunday blanketed entire regions in snow and ice.

However, it left Lincoln County with only cold temperature andwet ground, with a little ice hanging from tree limbs and fencelines but few other places. The slightly icy conditions should begone by Tuesday, said Lincoln County Civil Defense DirectorClifford Galey.

“We’re going to be better tomorrow. All of this should be gone,”he said Monday morning.

Brookhaven School District Superintendent Lea Barrett said allcity schools would be open at normal time Tuesday. City schoolsclosed Monday over concerns about icy roads and power outages.

County schools will resume normal schedules Tuesday as well.Regina East, assistant to the Lincoln County School Districtsuperintendent, said county schools were closed mainly due toconcerns about power outages.

The concerns were valid Sunday night, when around 1,500 peoplein eastern Lincoln and western Lawrence counties were in the dark,but crewman had reconnected the juice by Monday morning.

Lucy Shell, member services director with Magnolia ElectricPower Association, said 1,409 people in East Lincoln, Jayess andalong Highway 27 were without power at 7 p.m. Sunday, but allcustomers were reconnected by 9 a.m. Monday.

“Of course that was caused by ice on trees and trees on lines,”she said.

Entergy Customer Accounts Manager Kenny Goza said outages forhis company were so few in Lincoln County all of the outsidecrewmen brought in to battle the ice storm have been released.

“All the lights are burning,” he said.