A rare damaging wind event occurred across a large portion of central Mississippi during the evening of April 29th. This event can be referred as a "Wake Low" event.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS JAN wrote it up.
A rare damaging wind event occurred across a large portion of central Mississippi during the evening of April 29th. This event can be referred as a "Wake Low" event. This occurs as steady rain falls across an area and causes the air pressure to remain high. The "Wake Low" comes as the back edge of the rain shield dissipates and the air pressure is allowed to quickly respond and fall some 4 to 6 millibars (.12 to .18 inches of mercury) in a short amount of time, roughly 5 to 20 minutes. This rapid fall in air pressure causes the winds to blow at a good rate. The larger the air pressure fall, the stronger the winds will blow. What makes this event so rare is that damaging winds between 45 and 60 mph occurred when they typically only produce 20 to 30 mph winds.The strongest winds occurred along a corridor from Warren and Yazoo Counties east-northeast to Madison, Leake and Neshoba Counties where 45 to 60 mph sustained winds were widespread. These were not the only counties to be impacted however. Locations from Hinds, Copiah, Rankin, Simpson, Scott, Smith and Kemper were all impacted and received sustained winds between 40 and 50 mph. All these counties across central Mississippi had numerous trees blown down with many trees knocking down power lines and caused large power outages. Several trees fell on vehicles and homes causing more significant damage. One person was killed in northern Warren County when a tree fell on the mobile home and caused it to catch fire.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Jackson, MS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 29, 3:01 PM CST, 3 hours 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 401 PM CDT SAT APR 29 2006 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...MAIN FOCUS THIS PERIOD REMAINS THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS TONIGHT. LATEST SURFACE/RUC ANALYSIS HAS THE LOW NEARING THE OZARKS WITH THE COLD FRONT NEAR THE TEXAS/ARKANSAS/LOUISIANA STATE LINE. THIS SYSTEM HAS BEEN SLOW TO MOVE EASTWARD BUT WILL EVENTUALLY SPREAD ACROSS OUR CWA LATER TONIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING. A FEW SHOWERS HAVE OCCURRED OVER THE WHOLE CWA TODAY BUT THE BULK OF THE PCPN HAS FALLEN OVER THE DELTA WHERE LOCAL RADARS ARE SHOWING ESTIMATES OF 1 1/2 TO 2 INCHES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE LEADING EDGE OF THE RAIN WAS NEAR INTERSTATE 55 AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO OUR SOUTHERN LOUISIANA PARISHES. THE CAP OVER THE CWA HAS BEEN SLOW TO ERODE THIS AFTER AND IT NOW APPEARS THAT THE HEAVIEST RAIN AND GREATEST THREAT FOR ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 TONIGHT. SURFACE DEW POINTS WERE STILL IN THE 50S EAST OF INTERSTATE 55 BUT STRONG LOW LEVEL FLOW WAS TRYING TO POOL MOISTURE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. THE AREA ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 COULD STILL SEE A COUPLE OF INCHES OF RAIN TONIGHT BUT LIGHTER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED NORTH. SOUTHEAST WINDS HAVE BEEN QUITE GUSTY TODAY WITH MOST SITES REPORTING SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 30 MPH. THE WINDS WILL LIKELY CONTINUE EAST OF INTERSTATE 55 INTO THIS EVENING BUT BECOME LIGHTER WHERE THE RAIN IS FALLING. WL LET THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY EXPIRE. THERE WILL LIKELY BE ONGOING PCPN IN OUR EASTERN ZONES COME SUNDAY MORNING BUT END BY NOON. THE LARGE UPPER LOW WILL LINGER OVER THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT BUT THE CLOUD COVER AND PCPN ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN NORTH OF OUR CWA. SOUTHERLY FLOW RETURNS SUNDAY NIGHT...COMBINED WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES AND THE RECENT WIDESPREAD RAIN...PATCHY DENSE FOG MAY DEVELOP. 22 LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THERE WERE A FEW DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS...BUT WILL LIKELY STAY ON THE DRY SIDE. WILL MAINTAIN DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH MONDAY...WITH NORTHWEST FLOW SETTING UP OVER THE REGION. A WEAK RIDGE DEVELOPS OVER THE 4 CORNERS REGION...TAPPING INTO PACIFIC AIR...SO LOOKING FOR MILD CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE. A COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA LATE MONDAY...BUT WILL HOLD OFF RAIN UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE MAV GUIDANCE THROWS IN CHANCE POPS FOR MONDAY NIGHT...BUT BARELY SHOWS SLIGHT CHANCE POPS OF TUESDAY. WILL LIKELY ADD THE BETTER RAIN CHANCES FOR TUESDAY. THE UPPER WAVE MOVING WITH THE BOUNDARY DOES NOT LOOK AS STRONG THIS RUN. ANOTHER WEAK WAVE MOVES THROUGH ON THURSDAY. THE GFS SHOWS THE BOUNDARY STALLED OVER THE REGION AND SLOWLY DRIFTING NORTH...WHILE A UPPER RIDGE BUILDS FROM THE SOUTH THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY. THE WAVE SEEMS TO DROP INTO THE AREA AND TRACK ALONG THE STALLED BOUNDARY. LOOKS LIKE RAIN WILL BE CONFINED TO THE NORTH...SO OPTED TO LEAVE RAIN OUT OF AREAS WHERE MODELS POPS WERE LESS THAN 20 PERCENT. BY FRIDAY THE NEXT COLD FRONT DROPS INTO THE REGION AND HANGS AROUND THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH A FEW SURFACE LOWS DEVELOPING AND TRACKING THROUGH THE AREA. THE GFS WAS SHOWING MORE RAINFALL BULLSEYES. MODEL TEMPS WERE OK...LEANED TOWARD CLIMATOLOGY SO TEMPS MAY BE SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN MEX/MAV GUIDANCE. DID NOT SEE ANY REAL COOL AIR FLOWING INTO THE REGION. AS FAR AS STORM DEVELOPMENT FOR THE EXTENDED...NOT CONFIDENT IN GFS. THE MODEL CONTINUES TO SHOW DEWPOINTS IN THE NEAR 70...BOOSTING INSTABILITY. LAPSE RATES LOOK GOOD MONDAY NIGHT...WITH THE SOUNDINGS SHOWING INCREASED INSTABILITY...BUT THERE WAS NOT MUCH MOISTURE AND WINDS WERE NOT UNIDIRECTIONAL AND WEAK. MAINTAINED THUNDER WORDING...BUT WILL LEAVE OUT SEVERE WORDING IN THE EXTENDED FOR NOW. 07 && .AVIATION...WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE TWENTY. BREEZY SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST BEHIND THE FRONT AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE AREA OVERNIGHT. FLIGHT CATEGORIES WILL VARY TONIGHT. GRADUALLY IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED FROM THE WEST DURING THE DAY SUNDAY AS THE SYSTEM SHIFTS EAST OF THE AREA. 22 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... JACKSON 60 77 54 83 / 100 22 3 5 MERIDIAN 59 74 51 82 / 100 40 8 4 VICKSBURG 57 81 57 84 / 100 16 3 5 HATTIESBURG 63 78 57 84 / 100 41 5 4 NATCHEZ 58 80 56 85 / 100 12 3 3 GREENVILLE 57 77 57 84 / 100 17 3 10 GREENWOOD 59 72 56 82 / 100 19 5 8 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. && 22/07
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 440 PM CDT SAT APR 29 2006 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-072>074- 302140- ADAMS-ASHLEY-ATTALA-BOLIVAR-CARROLL-CATAHOULA-CHICOT-CHOCTAW- CLAIBORNE-CLARKE-CLAY-CONCORDIA-COPIAH-COVINGTON-EAST CARROLL- FORREST-FRANKLIN LA-FRANKLIN MS-GRENADA-HINDS-HOLMES-HUMPHREYS- ISSAQUENA-JASPER-JEFFERSON-JEFFERSON DAVIS-JONES-KEMPER-LAMAR- LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LEAKE-LEFLORE-LINCOLN-LOWNDES-MADISON LA- MADISON MS-MARION-MONTGOMERY-MOREHOUSE-NESHOBA-NEWTON-NOXUBEE- OKTIBBEHA-RANKIN-RICHLAND-SCOTT-SHARKEY-SIMPSON-SMITH-SUNFLOWER- TENSAS-WARREN-WASHINGTON-WEBSTER-WEST CARROLL-WINSTON-YAZOO- 440 PM CDT SAT APR 29 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND SUNDAY... ...THUNDERSTORMS... ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TONIGHT ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH AND POSSIBLY AN ISOLATED TORNADO WILL BE THE MAIN RISK WITH THESE STORMS. ELSEWHERE...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH COULD OCCUR TONIGHT. A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THE AMOUNT OF UNSTABLE AIR BE LIMITED TO THE SOUTH...WHICH SHOULD HELP REDUCE THE RISK OF SEVERE STORM IN THE NORTH. ANY SEVERE STORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO. ...FLOODING... A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAINFALL WILL SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. LOCALIZED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME COULD CAUSE SOME PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL...IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS...IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH NEXT SATURDAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Wind, Warren | 2006-04-29 | 40 | Male | Mobile/Trailer Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, April 2006
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5499730, 5499731, 5499720, 5499721, 5499726, 5499724, 5499723, 5499728, 5499725, 5499729, 5499727, 5499722.