Severe Thunderstorm Warning 409, NWS Jackson, MS

ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-072>074-
060800-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
315 PM CDT WED MAY 5 1999

...SIGNIFICANT OUTBREAK OF SEVERE WEATHER LIKELY ACROSS THE REGION
LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...
...FLOODING ALSO POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI AND
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...

A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXISTS THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT OVER
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND MOST OF MISSISSIPPI.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON OVER EASTERN
AND SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...NORTHWEST LOUISIANA...AND NORTHEAST TEXAS AHEAD
OF A COLD FRONT. THE AIRMASS ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AHEAD
OF THIS COLD FRONT IS EXTREMELY UNSTABLE. THE COMBINATION OF THE FRONT...
THE VERY UNSTABLE AIR...AND FAVORABLE WINDS ALOFT IN THE ATMOSPHERE
WILL LIKELY SET THE STAGE FOR A WIDESPREAD OUTBREAK OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO MOVE INTO
NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI
BY LATE AFTERNOON. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS
UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT.  THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL THEN SHIFT
EAST ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF MISSISSIPPI OVERNIGHT. DAMAGING WINDS...
VERY LARGE HAIL...AND A FEW STRONG TORNADOES MAY OCCUR WITH THESE
STORMS.

IN ADDITION TO THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER...HEAVY RAINFALL WILL
ACCOMPANY THE STORMS. THE GREATEST RISK OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL TOTALS
IS OVER NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS WHERE SEVERAL
ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS MAY MOVE ACROSS THE SAME AREA. A FLASH FLOOD
WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS AREA ALONG AND NORTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY 82.

THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WEATHER SITUATION. PEOPLE IN THE REGION
SHOULD MONITOR WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS CLOSELY...AND LISTEN FOR LATER
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT.

FOR MORE INFORMATION...PLEASE VISIT OUR INTERNET WEB SITE AT:

HTTP://WWW.JANNWS.STATE.MS.US                  /IN LOWER CASE LETTERS/