During the afternoon of March 18th, a strong area of low pressure developed across east Texas and lifted northeast into Arkansas. This deepening surface low increased the pressure gradient across the region and provided sustained winds between 30 and 35 mph with some gusts between 40 and 50 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
During the afternoon of March 18th, a strong area of low pressure developed across east Texas and lifted northeast into Arkansas. This deepening surface low increased the pressure gradient across the region and provided sustained winds between 30 and 35 mph with some gusts between 40 and 50 mph. These gradient winds caused sporadic damage across the parishes of northeast Louisiana and portions of central and southwest Mississippi. Scattered trees were blown down, some on power lines, which caused power outages. A couple trees fell on homes and two on vehicles which caused 2 injuries.
During the overnight and early morning hours of March 19th, the strong surface low and upper level disturbance helped push a cold front through the area. A line of thunderstorms developed along the front and brought scattered wind damage to portions of central and southern Mississippi.
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 Mar 18, 12:10 PM CST, 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
110 PM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008
.UPDATE...MAY HAVE WAITED TOO LATE...BUT DECIDED TO UPDATE THE
FORECAST TO BACK OFF ON THE RAIN FOR THE AFTERNOON. ACTIVITY REMAINS
WELL WEST OF THE AREA AND WARM ADVECTION TYPE SHOWERS HAVE BEEN
LIMITED. OPTED TO LOWER POPS. TEMPS IN THE EAST WERE MUCH COOLER THAN
EXPECTED...SO LOWERED VALUES ABOUT 4 DEGREES. OTHERWISE THE FORECAST
WAS OK.
&&
.AVIATION...
DID NOT MAKE ANY BIG CHANGES TO THE FORECAST. CONTINUED THUNDERSTORMS
FOR GTR/MEI/HBG INTO 15Z FOR ANY LINGERING THUNDERSTORMS. EXPECTING
RAIN TO BE OVER THE AREA BY 18Z. SLOWED THE INTRODUCTION OF
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE AREA ABOUT 3 HOURS.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
JACKSON 78 57 63 41 / 44 100 28 0
MERIDIAN 78 59 67 39 / 22 100 56 2
VICKSBURG 80 57 63 42 / 49 100 19 0
HATTIESBURG 79 59 69 41 / 23 100 49 1
NATCHEZ 80 57 64 40 / 48 100 15 0
GREENVILLE 77 54 59 42 / 50 100 27 0
GREENWOOD 78 56 61 39 / 49 100 38 0
&&
.JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MS...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY FOR MSZ030-031-033-
038-039-045-046-051-052-056>058-064>066-072>074.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY
FOR MSZ018-019-025>029-032-034>037-040>044-047>050-053>055-
059>063.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR MSZ018-019-025>029-
032-034>037-040>044-047>050-053>055-059>063.
LA...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY
FOR LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR LAZ007>009-015-016-
023>026.
AR...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 7 AM CDT WEDNESDAY
FOR ARZ074-075.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT TONIGHT FOR ARZ074-075.
&&
7HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 657 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-072>074- 191200- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON-FRANKLIN-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CONCORDIA-BOLIVAR-SUNFLOWER- LEFLORE-GRENADA-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY-WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES-CHOCTAW- OKTIBBEHA-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES-ATTALA-WINSTON-NOXUBEE- ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER-WARREN-HINDS-RANKIN- SCOTT-NEWTON-LAUDERDALE-CLAIBORNE-COPIAH-SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER- CLARKE-JEFFERSON-ADAMS-LINCOLN-LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON- JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 657 AM CDT TUE MAR 18 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY WEST OF A MONTICELLO TO ACKERMAN LINE TODAY AND A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN MISSISSIPPI. STRONG GRADIENT WINDS FROM THE SOUTH OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE LIKELY IN THE WEST WHILE 15 TO 25 MPH PERSIST IN THE EAST. HIGHER GUSTS TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 55 WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN THE EAST. THIS WILL MAKE DRIVING HAZARDOUS FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES ALONG INTERSTATE 20 AND OTHER WEST TO EAST ORIENTED HIGHWAYS. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON OVER NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS AND PORTIONS OF THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION. ALTHOUGH DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREAT...TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL CANNOT BE RULED OUT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY FOR MUCH OF THE OUTLOOK AREA TONIGHT WITH DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND TORNADOES BEING THE PRIMARY RISKS. WIND GUSTS WITH THE LINE COULD REACH 80 MPH OR MORE WITH BOWING LINE SEGMENTS. NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM INTO A SQUALL LINE ALONG AND AHEAD OF A STRONG COLD FRONT TO OUR WEST THIS AFTERNOON. ANY ISOLATED STORMS AHEAD OF THE SQUALL LINE COULD PRODUCE TORNADOES AND DAMAGING WINDS AS THEY RACE NORTHEAST AT OVER 60 MPH. THE SQUALL LINE SHOULD CROSS NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS BETWEEN 7 AND 10 PM...MOVE THROUGH WEST MISSISSIPPI BETWEEN 11 PM TO 2 AM...CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI FROM 2 AM TO 4 AM... AND FINALLY EAST MISSISSIPPI BETWEEN 4 AM AND 7 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATED FORECASTS...WATCHES AND WARNINGS REGARDING THIS POWERFUL SPRING STORM SYSTEM. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER WILL BE LOW FROM MIDDAY WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS...WILL LIKELY BE REQUESTED FOR TONIGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. 22
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 strong wind, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong gradient winds downed several trees and 3 power lines.
A couple of trees were blown down along with numerous large limbs. This tree damage occurred from strong gradient winds.
Several trees were blown down across the parish. One tree fell on a moving vehicle and caused 1 injury.
A home in Frogmore sustained roof damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, March 2008
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: 90969, 90970, 90971, 90973.