The large hail storm that hit central Mississippi on Monday has caused severe enough damage to force an elementary school to close for the rest of the school year.
The Clinton Public School District reported Wednesday (March 20) that after surveying the damage left behind by large hail, students will not be able to return to Lovett Elementary School.
The roof was badly damaged when baseball to softball-size hail hit the area just after 3:30 p.m. Monday.
“We are concerned that moisture in the underlying decking will promote the growth of mildew and mold, and we do not want to risk the health of our students and teachers in this building,” the school district said in a statement.
The National Weather Service confirmed that the hail in Clinton was the third largest on record to hit the state since records began back in 1950.
Parents, teachers, school district employees and volunteers have already started packing up and preparing to relocate to the old Eastside Elementary campus.
Eastside used to house fourth and fifth-grade students, but has been vacant since August when the new Northside & Eastside Elementary campus opened.
The tentative plan is for classes to begin Monday at Eastside. Lovett houses about 350 sixth-grade students.
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