NATCHEZ — Twice last year, once already this year — could snow just become a regular part of winter in Natchez?

Hardly, locals said Friday night as they stood downtown staring up at the large, steady flakes showering down.

“It could snow on the equator and stick before it would stick here,” said Diane Golden, from her warm perch inside Sun, Moon and Stars on Main Street.

Snow doesn’t stick much in Natchez, that’s for sure.

Before a surprise blanket in January 2008, the last snow most folks in town remembered was Dec. 31, 2000.

Though it snowed again last year on March 7, 2008, the white stuff is still something special, Natchez residents John Cole and Anne Stowers said. The duo took a break from dinner at Planet Thailand to step outside and stare up.

“When I was 5, we had enough to make a snowman,” Stowers said. “We’ve had very small snowmen since then, but it’s absolutely (still special.)”

Richard Conn, 11, said he remembers two Natchez snows in his lifetime. Richard and 12-year-old sister Amelia were headed home to play in the snow.

“Hopefully I’m going to catch (a snowflake) in my mouth,” Amelia said after several failed attempts.

Flakes started falling at approximately 6 p.m. Friday night and were expected to continue off and on until 1 a.m.

Minimal accumulation was predicted, but up to one inch was expected to fall in the Miss-Lou.

Temperatures, which were expected to dip to 31 degrees overnight, are predicted to hit 49 degrees by this afternoon.