Flash Flooding in Mississippi, January 6, 2009

Name: Flash Flooding in Mississippi, January 6, 2009
Start: 2009-01-06T12:15
End: 2009-01-06T15:50
Location: Mississippi

January 6, 2009 · NWS JAN · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

which resulted in some flash flooding in much of North Central and Northeast sections of the ArkLaMiss.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $690,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS JAN wrote it up.

A stationary frontal boundary and rich gulf moisture combined with a series of upper disturbances caused some heavy rains to cross the region...which resulted in some flash flooding in much of North Central and Northeast sections of the ArkLaMiss.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jan 6, 10:20 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 6, 10:20 AM CST, 1 hour 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1020 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

.DISCUSSION...CURRENT EVENT STARTING TO UNFOLD THIS MORNING ACROSS
THE AREA AS STRONG ASCENT NEARS FROM CENTRAL TX. SFC FRONT LOCATION
WILL BE THE KEY AS LOCATIONS ALONG AND TO THE E/SE OF IT WILL HAVE
THE SVR WX RISK. TIMING ON THIS LOOKS TO BE FOCUSED BETWEEN 11 AM
AND 4-5 PM. BASED ON LATEST MODELS AND CURRENT SFC OBS...THE SFC
FRONT SHOULD BE LOCATED ALONG A LINE FROM BROOKHAVEN TO
DEKALB...THUS MAKING THE I-59 CORRIDOR THE MAIN REGION FOR SVR
STORMS. TORNADOES AND DM WINDS ARE THE MAIN RISK AS SFC PRESSURES
FALL IN RESPONSE TO THE STRONG SYSTEM APPROACHING. WINDS ALOFT WILL
ALSO CONTINUE TO INCREASE A GOOD BIT AS THE STRONG FORCING NEARS AS
WELL CONTRIBUTING TO STRONG LOW LEVEL AND DEEP LAYER SHEAR.

HEAVY RAINFALL STILL IS A CONCERN AS WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN WILL
CONTINUE TO DEVELOP. THE FOCUS FOR THE HEAVIEST LOOKS TO HAVE
SHIFTED SOME. LOOKS LIKE THE HEAVIEST TODAY WILL BE LOCATED ALONG
THE TRACE CORRIDOR. TODAY MORE CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS ARE EXPECTED WITH
THE STORMS...THUS MUCH BETTER/HIGHER RAINFALL RATES. THIS WILL LEAD
TO MORE EFFICIENT RAINFALL AND THUS HIGHER POTENTIAL FOR FLASH
FLOODING. WITH THIS...I HAVE ADJ/EXPANDED THE FFA FURTHER SW AND E
TO COVER AN AREA FROM NATCHEZ TO BROOKHAVEN TO JUST S OF MERIDIAN.
LOOK FOR WIDESPREAD 1-3 WITH LOCALIZED 3-5 WITHIN THE TRACE
CORRIDOR.

HRLY TEMPS WILL BE TOUGH AS LOCATING THE SFC FRONT WILL PROVIDE A
CHALLENGE. I HAVE ADJ HRLY TEMPS SOME TO SHOW WHERE THE SFC FRONT
MAY BE LOCATED.  /CME/

&&

.AVIATION...BIGGEST PROBLEM WILL BE CIGS. WIDESPREAD IFR/LIFR
CONDITIONS WILL BE IN PLACE BUT AROUND SITES GLH/GWO CIGS HAVE BEGUN
TO IMPROVE AND THEY WILL BE IN AND OUT OF IFR/MVFR STATUS THROUGH
THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY. SOUTH OF THE FRONT...WHICH AT 16Z WAS
MAINLY LOCATED FROM SOUTH CENTRAL LA...ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI AND THROUGH EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...CIGS SHOULD
MAINLY BE IN MVFR STATUS UNTIL SHRA/TSRA MOVE OVERHEAD THEN TEMPO
IFR CIGS WILL DEVELOP. VISBIES WILL ALSO BE TRICKY. NORTH OF THE
FRONT IFR/MVFR STATUS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY ESPECIALLY WHEN
HEAVY RAIN MOVES OVERHEAD. SOUTH OF THE FRONT IT WILL TAKE
CONVECTION TO GET VISBIES TO FALL INTO IFR/MVFR STATUS. SEVERE
STORMS WILL ALSO BE A CONCERN SOUTH OF THE FRONT WITH DAMAGING WINDS
AND A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE. THE MAIN SITES THAT HAVE TO WORRY
ABOUT SVR WEATHER WILL BE MEI/HBG AND THE SVR RISK SHOULD MOVE OUT
BY 22/23Z. OVERALL THINGS SHOULD BEGIN TO IMPROVE LATE THIS
AFTN...EARLY THIS EVN. THE ONLY OTHER THINGS WILL BE WINDS WILL VEER
AROUND TO THE NORTHEAST AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH. /CAB/

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
JACKSON       55  44  54  39 / 100  94  13   0
MERIDIAN      66  47  53  36 / 100 100  18   1
VICKSBURG     50  42  53  40 / 100  78  10   0
HATTIESBURG   73  48  58  37 / 100  95  14   3
NATCHEZ       53  41  54  39 / 100  68   8   0
GREENVILLE    48  38  52  39 / 100  87  11   1
GREENWOOD     51  39  51  38 / 100  97  16   2

&&

.JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MS...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR MSZ018-019-
     025>062.

LA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR LAZ007>009-
     015-016-023>026.

AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR ARZ074-075.

&&

CME/CAB

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 6, 5:57 AM CST, 6 hours 18 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
557 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

MSZ039-045-046-050>052-054>058-061>066-072>074-071200-
NOXUBEE-NESHOBA-KEMPER-SCOTT-NEWTON-LAUDERDALE-COPIAH-SIMPSON-SMITH-
JASPER-CLARKE-FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN-LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-
COVINGTON-JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST-
557 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SECTIONS OF SOUTH AND EAST
MISSISSIPPI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE TODAY FOR AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF A
LINE FROM BUDE TO FOREST TO DEKALB. DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND
TORNADOES WILL BE THE PRIMARY RISKS BUT LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO BE
POSSIBLE. THE CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE HIGHEST FROM LATE
MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.

PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO OCCUR TODAY. LOCALIZED FLOODING
OF ROADWAYS AND LOW LYING AREAS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN STRONGER STORMS.

DEEP GULF MOISTURE HAS POOLED SOUTH OF A COLD FRONT THAT HAS STALLED
ACROSS EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA INTO SOUTH AND EAST CENTRAL
MISSISSIPPI. STRONG WIND SHEAR...WHICH WILL HELP PROMOTE STRONG
ROTATION IN DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS...IS ALSO IN PLACE. A STRONG
WEATHER DISTURBANCE THAT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE
EARLY AFTERNOON WILL INITIATE STRONG STORMS IN THE FAVORABLE
ENVIRONMENT IN PLACE.

THE FRONT WILL DROP TO THE SOUTHEAST DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING TO GRADUALLY DECREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...
THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER
OPERATIONS...MAY BE NEEDED TODAY. OTHERWISE ACTIVATION IS NOT
ANTICIPATED THROUGH NEXT MONDAY.

ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>038-040>044-047-
048-049-053-059-060-071200-
ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND-
MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CONCORDIA-BOLIVAR-
SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE-GRENADA-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY-WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES-
CHOCTAW-OKTIBBEHA-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES-ATTALA-WINSTON-
ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-MADISON MS-LEAKE-WARREN-HINDS-RANKIN-
CLAIBORNE-JEFFERSON-ADAMS-
557 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS AND SECTIONS OF WEST AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

FLOODING RAINS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS AND SECTIONS OF NORTH AND WEST MISSISSIPPI TODAY.
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THIS AREA FOR TODAY.

RAIN WILL BE WIDESPREAD TODAY OVER AREAS NORTH OF A COLD FRONT THAT
HAS STALLED FROM EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA INTO SOUTHEAST AND EAST
CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. PERSISTENT PERIODS OF HEAVIER RAINFALL WILL
OCCUR...ESPECIALLY OVER AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. RAIN AREAS
WILL INCREASE IN INTENSITY WHEN A STRONG WEATHER DISTURBANCE MOVES
ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON. AFTER RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM ONE TO
THREE INCHES AT SOME AREAS OVERNIGHT...ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS
OF ONE TO THREE INCHES WILL BE LIKELY TODAY. HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS
WILL BE POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...
THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER
OPERATIONS...MAY BE NEEDED TODAY. OTHERWISE ACTIVATION IS NOT
ANTICIPATED THROUGH NEXT MONDAY.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS
WEATHER OUTLOOK.

03

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 6, 9:22 AM CST, 2 hours 53 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
922 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

MSZ063>065-072-061605-
COVINGTON MS-MARION MS-LAWRENCE MS-JEFFERSON DAVIS MS-
922 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH JEFFERSON DAVIS COUNTY...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND
40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 3 MILES WEST OF GOSS AT 922 AM CST...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.

PEOPLE IN JEFFERSON DAVIS...SOUTHEASTERN LAWRENCE...NORTHWESTERN
MARION AND SOUTHERN COVINGTON COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM
CLOSELY.

BANNAN

Special weather statement, Jan 6, 10:25 AM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1025 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

MSZ054-062-063-061710-
LINCOLN MS-LAWRENCE MS-COPIAH MS-
1025 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS AND
HEAVY RAINFALL WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF BROOKHAVEN AT 1025
AM CST...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

PEOPLE IN SOUTHEASTERN COPIAH...NORTHWESTERN LAWRENCE AND
NORTHEASTERN LINCOLN COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.

DHB

Special weather statement, Jan 6, 11:40 AM CST, 35 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
1140 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

MSZ045-049>051-061825-
NEWTON MS-RANKIN MS-SCOTT MS-NESHOBA MS-
1140 AM CST TUE JAN 6 2009

...GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS HEADING INTO FOREST...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY
WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WAS LOCATED OVER PULASKI AT 1138 AM
CST...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH. THESE WINDS WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE
FOREST TO PROSPECT AREAS BY 1215 PM.

HIGH WINDS CAN BRING DOWN TREES AND LARGE LIMBS RESULTING IN SERIOUS
INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OUTDOORS
DURING SUCH STRONG WINDS...AND BE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF OLDER TREES.

PEOPLE IN EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL NESHOBA...SOUTHEASTERN SCOTT...
EXTREME EAST CENTRAL RANKIN AND NORTHWESTERN NEWTON COUNTIES SHOULD
MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.

40

The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Lowndes

When: January 6, 12:15 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Lowndes County, 3.53 mi NE of (Gtr)columbus Rgnl A to 3.35 mi SSW of Kolola Spgs
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 33.492, -88.544

Numerous roads and streets were flooded in the city of Columbus and across portions of Lowndes county. Rainfall amounts around the county were observed to be around 5 to 6 inches with radar estimates up to 7 inches. Water was reported up to the steps of several homes in Columbus.

Flash Flood, Clay

When: January 6, 12:40 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Clay County, 1.61 mi NW of Waverly Station to 3.63 mi S of Whites
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.587, -88.539

Several creeks in rural Clay County was reported to be out of their banks and across county roads. Radar estimated rainfall amounts to be 3 to 7 inches.

Flash Flood, Copiah

When: January 6, 1:07 PM CST to 2:15 PM CST
Where: Copiah County, 1.56 mi SW of Utica Institute to 2.61 mi WNW of Crystal Spgs
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 32.035, -90.640

Heavy rainfall caused a culvert to get washed out along Jack Road in the Dentville Community. Rainfall amounts were between 2 and 4 inches.

Flash Flood, Hinds

When: January 6, 1:30 PM CST to 2:45 PM CST
Where: Hinds County, 0.92 mi WNW of Jackson Hawkins Fld to 2.1 mi ESE of Jackson Hawkins Fld
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 32.336, -90.234

Heavy rainfall, between 2 and 3 inches, flooded several streets across Jackson.

Flash Flood, Leake

When: January 6, 1:57 PM CST to 3:45 PM CST
Where: Leake County, 0.96 mi SSE of Madden to 1.06 mi NW of Rosebud
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 32.667, -89.344

Heavy rainfall, between 2 and 4 inches, occurred across portions of eastern Leake County. High water covered portions of Highway 488 near Madden.

Flash Flood, Noxubee

When: January 6, 2:30 PM CST to 3:50 PM CST
Where: Noxubee County, 2.47 mi SSE of Cliftonville to 3.58 mi W of Brooksville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 33.195, -88.421

Numerous roads were closed around the county due to flash flooding. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 6 inches were reported.

Flash Flood, Winston

When: January 6, 2:50 PM CST to 3:50 PM CST
Where: Winston County, 1.37 mi ENE of Rural Hill to 1.64 mi NNW of Fearns Spgs
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 33.078, -89.258

A number of roads across the county were flooded with high water across them. A couple roads were closed due to high water. Rainfall amounts between 3 and 5 inches occurred.

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Mississippi in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Mississippi, January 2009

Sources

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: 146876, 146877, 146880, 146879, 147173, 146878, 147178.