Much of Mississippi including the Jackson metro area have been placed under a tornado watch through Monday evening.
According to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), two tornado watches are in effect extending until 10 p.m. CST Monday, covering 60 out of the state's 82 counties across all of central and southern Mississippi.
The tornado watches include the counties of Winston, Webster, Wayne, Sunflower, Stone, Smith, Scott, Perry, Pearl River, Oktibbeha, Noxubee, Newton, Neshoba, Montgomery, Lowndes, Leflore, Leake, Lauderdale, Lamar, Kemper, Jones, Jasper, Jackson, Humphreys, Holmes, Harrison, Hancock, Grenada, Greene, George, Forrest, Covington, Clay, Clarke, Choctaw, Carroll, Bolivar, Attala, Yazoo, Wilkinson, Washington, Warren, Walthall, Simpson, Sharkey, Rankin, Pike, Marion, Madison, Lincoln, Lawrence, Jefferson Davis, Jefferson, Issaquena, Hinds, Franklin, Copiah, Claiborne, Amite and Adams.
"Thunderstorms expected to increase in coverage and strength through early evening over the watch area as pressure falls and upper divergence associated with the continued east northeast advance of Texas upper low and surface heating, destabilize area along and north of a diffuse west northwest/east southeast warm front now over southern Louisiana," the SPC said.
"Tornado threat should increase with time as existing slightly elevated warm air advection storm become rooted in the boundary layer across southern and central Louisiana and other storms arise from pre-cold-frontal confluence zone over far eastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana," the SPC added.
The probability of two or more tornadoes within the watch areas is at 60 percent with a 40 percent chance of a strong tornado of EF-2 strength or higher.
Everyone should stay updated on the latest weather information as it becomes available.
Parts of the state have already been hit with seven tornadoes over the past two weeks including a powerful EF-4 tornado in the Hattiesburg area Feb. 10.
Get interesting environment and science and space news. Also, follow along with the thousands of others for periodic weather updates, news and notes on Twitter.
Comments