Weather Alert: Tornado and Thunderstorm Warnings Across Mississippi and Alabama

A severe thunderstorm watch for much of Central Mississippi is in effect until midnight tonight, the closest to us in Alabama. A mesoscale convective system, or MCS, is currently east of Jackson, spanning from Kosciusko to near Brandon and down to Hazlehurst. The system is moving east at 30 mph.

Severe thunderstorm warnings are in force for portions of Newton and Neshoba counties in Central Mississippi. There have been multiple reports of downed trees and electrical lines in Madison County. 1 inch of hail was observed in Pocahontas, Hinds County. There have been several reports of minor hail. There were also reports of flooding.

A potential tornado was spotted near Oakley in southern Hinds County. There was a brief TDS near Raymond, signifying a tornado touchdown.

These storms are diminishing and are predicted to fall below severe levels before reaching West Alabama overnight. But we’ll babysit them just in case.

Storms are moving east from the west of that system, over East Texas and western Louisiana. A tornado watch remains in place until 11 p.m. in extreme East Texas and North Central Louisiana. One line of storms runs from west of Natchitoches to around Jasper and Kirbyville.

Tornado warnings are in force for Jasper, Hardin, and Tyler counties in East Texas, south of Jasper. These storms will hit Alabama after 8 a.m. tomorrow, but they will again disintegrate.

Other storms are currently raging in northern Louisiana, stretching from west of Bernice to Minden and south of Shreveport. They are not severe at the moment. Those are irrelevant to us in Alabama.

Finally, storms in the Texas Hill Country have triggered a severe thunderstorm watch for Central and South Texas tonight. There have been numerous reports of huge hail from Temple to Round Rock, Hondo, and the border with Mexico. Severe thunderstorm warnings are in force in Big Wells, western San Antonio, and locations southwest of College Station.

These storms will pass southern Louisiana in the morning and reach Southwest Alabama by late morning when they will increase again. There is a severe weather threat in South Alabama, primarily south of a line running from Eutaw to Marion to Montgomery to Clayton. There is a minimal risk south of a line running from Vernon to Bessemer to Tuskegee to Eufaula.

However, high-resolution information for tonight suggests that the severe weather threat is minor. It is higher as you travel south and southwest across Alabama into the Panhandle. I’ll point out that the SPC Day Two for tomorrow is significantly more foreboding. And the scenario may change, so pay close attention to updates tomorrow.

However, for tonight, set your Weatheradio and go to bed. Tomorrow will be windy, with gusts up to 40 mph even outside of storms. A flash flood watch is also in force for the northern two-thirds of the state tomorrow. Rainfall quantities of 2-4 inches will be frequent, with occasional greater amounts.