A significant severe weather outbreak affected the region on April 15th. While the worst of the weather occurred across Mississippi, instances of damaging wind occurred across portions of northeast Louisiana.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 significant severe weather outbreak affected the region on April 15th. While the worst of the weather occurred across Mississippi, instances of damaging wind occurred across portions of northeast Louisiana.
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 15, 3:42 AM CST, 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 442 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011 ...SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK EXPECTED TODAY... .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM (FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)...FOCUS WILL CENTER ON INCREASING CONCERN FOR A DANGEROUS SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK TO UNFOLD TODAY. THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR CYCLIC AND STRONG TORNADOES...HAIL TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS...AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS UP TO 80 MPH. A TORNADO WATCH IS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10AM ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN AREAS OF THE CWA. CERTAINLY ANTICIPATE AN ADDITIONAL WATCH FOR MUCH OF THE AREA LATER THIS MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. AS OF 330AM...A SEVERE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ACROSS EASTERN ARKANSAS AND STRETCHING SW INTO NW LOUISIANA AND TRAILING BACK INTO SE TEXAS. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES HAVE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LINE AS IT PROGRESSES TOWARDS THE ARKLAMISS DELTA REGION BY 5 AM. LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS DEPICTS NEARLY 1000 J/KG SBCAPE AHEAD OF LINE WITH 50 TO 60 KT EFFECTIVE SHEAR SUPPORTING LARGE BOWING SEGMENTS AND TORNADOES ALONG THE LINE. A WEDGE OF MID TO UPPER 60 DEWPOINTS CURRENTLY LOCATED ACROSS CENTRAL AND WESTERN MISSISSIPPI AND ALL OF LOUISIANA WILL CONTINUE TO SURGE NORTHWARD ON AN ACCELERATING LLJ OF 50 TO 60 KT. WITH SFC WINDS BACKED TO SSE...SOUTHERLY 50KT H85 WINDS...AND CYCLONICALLY CURVED 70 KT H5 WINDS FROM THE SW... EFFECTIVE SHEAR VALUES OF 50 TO 60 WILL BE IN PLACE TO SUPPORT VIGOROUS CONVECTION AND STRONG ROTATING UPDRAFTS THIS MORNING AND ESPECIALLY THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH OF THE ARKLAMISS. AS FAR AS EVENT EVOLUTION IS CONCERNED...A DANGEROUS SEVERE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT THAT ARKLAMISS DELTA REGION OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. THIS LINE WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE HIGHWAY 82 CORRIDOR THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS AS IT TRANSLATES EASTWARD. THE LINE COULD BECOME MORE BROKEN IN NATURE AND SLOW WHILE TRAILING BACK TO THE SW INTO SOUTH-CENTRAL LOUISIANA AS SUPPORTIVE VORTICITY LOBE MOVES NE AWAY FROM CONVECTIVE COMPLEX. DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES...AND HAIL WILL ALL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS CONVECTION ACROSS THE ARKLAMISS DELTA AND ALONG HIGHWAY 82 CORRIDOR. BY THE MID MORNING HOURS...SBCAPE WILL SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE TO 1500-2000 J/KG AND 0-1 KM SRH OF 200-300 M2/S2 WILL SETUP ALONG AND SOUTH OF LOCATIONS NOT AFFECTED BY EARLIER CONVECTION. LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF NATCHEZ TRACE...AND SOUTH OF A POSSIBLE COLD POOL BOUNDARY WITH HAVE A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF DISCRETE AND POTENTIALLY LONG-LIVED SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINMENT IN AN UNSTABLE AND HIGHLY UPPER-LVL DIVERGENT ENVIRONMENT AS ANOTHER VORT LOBE AND UPPER JET STREAK ROTATE THROUGH THE BASE OF THE H5 TROUGH. PER LOCAL HI-RES WRF AND HRRR OUTPUT AND OVERALL ENVIRONMENT...SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SUPERCELLS AND BOWING SEGMENTS APPEAR POSSIBLE ACROSS THE REGION. SEVERE WEATHER RISKS WITH THESE SUPERCELLS INCLUDE TORNADOES...SOME POSSIBLY STRONG AND CYCLIC...LARGE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS...AND DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 80 MPH. SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL END WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE DRYLINE FROM WEST TO EAST. PLEASE SEE GRAPHICASTS FOR ESTIMATED SEVERE WEATHER TIMING AND ENDING. THE ENTIRE REGION WILL BE CLEAR OF SEVERE WEATHER RISK BY 10 PM THIS EVENING. PLEASE STAY ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING CONDITIONS THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WINDS WILL BE GUSTY ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE DRYLINE AS CLEARING WILL TAKE PLACE. WIND GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH FROM THE WEST WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY FOR THE ARKLAMISS DELTA REGION AND AREA LAKES. MUCH QUIETER AND PLEASANT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. MORNING LOWS FOR THE WEEKEND WILL BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 40S WITH HIGHS TOPPING OUT NEAR 70 ON SATURDAY WITH SOME STRATOCUMULUS CLOUDS PIVOTING ACROSS HIGHWAY 82 CORRIDOR AND INTO THE UPPER 70S ON SUNDAY UNDER SUNNY SKIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. CONCERNING OTHER FORECAST MATTERS...TEMPERATURES AND DEWPOINTS WERE MASSAGED UPWARDS IN THE SHORT TERM GIVEN CURRENT OBSERVATIONS AND TRENDS. MAX HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS INCREASED SLIGHTLY AS MUCH OF THE REGION IS HOVERING AROUND THE 70 DEGREE MARK WITH ANTICIPATION OF PARTIAL EROSION OF STRATUS DECK AND DESPITE OVERSPREADING OF ANVIL CIRRUS. INCREASED HIGH TEMPS A COUPLE OF DEGREES ON SUNDAY GIVEN SOLID WARM AIR ADVECTION AND CLEAR SKIES. POPS WERE INCREASED FOR THIS MORNING ACROSS THE ARKLAMISS DELTA AND UPPED FOR MUCH OF THE REGION...EXCLUDING THE EXTREME SOUTHWEST...FOR THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING PERIOD. POPS WERE REDUCED ALONG AND WEST OF I-55 AFTER 0Z TONIGHT BEHIND TO DRYLINE/FRONT./ALLEN/ && LONGER TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH SATURDAY)...A FLATTER ZONAL FLOW PATTERN ACROSS THE CONUS SHOULD KEEP STORM SYSTEM MOVING RIGHT ALONG FOR MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. SURFACE HIGH(1020MB) OVER AL EARLY SUNDAY WILL MOVE OFF SRN GA COAST BY MONDAY ALLOWING ANOTHER QUICK RETURN FLOW PATTERN TO SET UP STARTING SUNDAY NIGHT FOR THE LOWER MS VALLEY. NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ON SUNDAY WILL REVERT TO ABOVE NORMAL FOR MOST OF THE WEEK PER ENSEMBLE AND MEX GUIDANCE. SEVERAL MID LEVEL SHORTWAVES WILL BE RACING THROUGH THE FLOW IN THE CENTRAL AND ERN CONUS. IN RESPONSE...DEEP MOISTURE WILL INCREASE OVER OUR CWFA PROBABLY IN ABOUT 2 TO 3 DAY INTERVALS...THE FIRST BEING ON TUESDAY...THEN THURSDAY AND FINALLY SATURDAY. THE POSITION OF A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONTAL SYSTEM OVER THE MID SOUTH OR GULF STATES WILL BE KEY TO FOCUSING RAINFALL DURING THE WEEK. MODEL CONSENSUS MOVES A PLAINS LOW ACROSS THE OZARKS HEADING NEWD TUESDAY DRAGGING A COLD FRONT TOWARD OUR CWA TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS IT STALLS OUT. THE STALLING FRONT GETS STUCK UNDER PREVAILING SWLY FLOW ALOFT SO UNCERTAINTY IN THESE FEATURES WILL BE ABOVE NORMAL. ANY QPF SHOULD INITIALLY BE UNDER ONE INCH BEFORE MID WEEK HOWEVER PATTERN SUGGESTS A HEAVY RAINFALL EPISODE COULD BE SETTING UP FOR THE TN VALLEY/MID SOUTH OR GULF STATES BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK. /40 && .AVIATION...VFR TO MVFR CONDITIONS ARE CURRENTLY ONGOING BUT THAT WILL QUICKLY CHANGE FOR KGLH AND KGWO THROUGH THE NEXT HALF HOUR AND OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS AS A SEVERE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL SWEEP ACROSS THE HIGHWAY 82 CORRIDOR. +TSRA WITH VISIBILITIES DOWN BELOW ONE MILE...1-2 KFT CEILINGS ACCOMPANIED BY POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 TO 70 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH 6AM FOR THESE TWO TAF SITES. FARTHER SOUTH...BKN 2 KFT STRATUS CEILINGS WILL AFFECT SITES THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS BEFORE MIXING OUT TO SCT TO FEW AND BECOMING VFR FOR PORTIONS OF THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES...HAIL...AND STRONG WINDS. IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS WILL CERTAINLY BE POSSIBLE INVOF AND IN THUNDERSTORMS. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL SHIFT OUT OF THE REGION BY THIS EVENING./ALLEN/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... JACKSON 80 47 71 45 / 81 17 8 0 MERIDIAN 82 49 71 42 / 79 50 10 0 VICKSBURG 81 48 72 42 / 52 13 8 0 HATTIESBURG 85 49 75 46 / 80 48 8 0 NATCHEZ 80 47 72 44 / 51 13 5 0 GREENVILLE 79 49 69 45 / 82 15 10 0 GREENWOOD 79 47 69 44 / 79 13 10 0 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. && ALLEN/40
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 421 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>028-034>036- 040>042-047-160930- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CONCORDIA-BOLIVAR- SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE-GRENADA-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS- HOLMES-ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-WARREN- 421 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CROSSING LOCATIONS WEST OF A LINE FROM TALLULAH LOUISIANA TO WINONA MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING. INITIALLY... THE PRIMARY THREAT WITH THESE SEVERE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS OF 70 MPH AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF HALF DOLLARS. THIS LINE SHOULD GRADUALLY BREAK UP DURING THE MID MORNING HOURS WITH A RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER CONTINUING AND INCLUDING TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS OF 75 MPH...AND HAIL TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS POSSIBLE. THE MAIN RISK SHOULD SHIFT TO THE SOUTHEAST DURING THE MIDDAY HOURS AND END COMPLETELY BEFORE MID AFTERNOON AS A COLD FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY OF 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...WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MOST OF THE MORNING HOURS BUT SHOULD NOT BE NEEDED AFTER ABOUT 3 PM. MSZ029>033-037>039-043>046-048>066-072>074-160930- WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES-CHOCTAW-OKTIBBEHA-ATTALA-WINSTON-NOXUBEE- MADISON MS-LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER-HINDS-RANKIN-SCOTT-NEWTON- LAUDERDALE-CLAIBORNE-COPIAH-SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER-CLARKE-JEFFERSON- ADAMS-FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN-LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON- JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 421 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND EAST MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST THIS MORNING SHOULD BEGIN BREAKING UP ROUGHLY ALONG THE NATCHEZ TRACE PARKWAY CORRIDOR BEFORE NOONTIME. THEN...SCATTERED SEVERE SUPERCELLS ARE EXPECTED TO FORM DURING THE MIDDAY AND EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS ESPECIALLY IMPACTING EAST CENTRAL AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI. AT THIS POINT...THERE WILL BE AN ENHANCED RISK OF TORNADOES...WHICH COULD BE STRONG...DAMAGING WINDS TO 80 MPH... AND HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF BASEBALLS. THE MOST LIKELY TIME FOR THESE STORMS WILL BE FROM NOON TO 800 PM. THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL END FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING AS A COLD FRONT SWEEPS EAST OF THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY OF 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...WILL BE NEEDED THROUGH EARLY TONIGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. THIS INCLUDES THE GRAPHICAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. 40
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
331 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011
ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-MSZ018-034-150940-
ASHLEY AR-CHICOT AR-MOREHOUSE LA-WEST CARROLL LA-EAST CARROLL LA-
BOLIVAR MS-WASHINGTON MS-
331 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011
...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS APPROACHING
THE DELTA REGION...WARNINGS WILL BE LIKELY...
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 60 TO 70 MPH WINDS WAS
LOCATED FROM 40 MILES NORTHWEST OF ROSEDALE TO 25 MILES WEST OF
CROSSETT AT 330 AM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. THESE STORMS HAVE
A HISTORY OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND SHOULD BE REACHING FROM
AROUND ROSEDALE TO LAKE VILLAGE INTO THE BASTROP AREAS BETWEEN 4 AND
5 AM WITH CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES AND VERY HEAVY RAINS.
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 WASHINGTON...BOLIVAR...CHICOT AND ASHLEY COUNTIES...AND
NORTHWESTERN EAST CARROLL...WEST CARROLL AND NORTHERN MOREHOUSE
PARISHES SHOULD MONITOR THESE STORMS CLOSELY.
LAT...LON 3411 9065 3314 9091 3302 9116 3264 9148
3287 9208 3318 9214 3340 9198 3340 9146
3357 9144 3352 9126 3372 9121 3368 9104
3373 9115 3379 9099 3400 9110 3397 9097
3409 9088 3413 9094
TIME...MOT...LOC 0826Z 285DEG 41KT 3417 9159 3313 9246
40PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
533 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0515 AM TSTM WND DMG PARKDALE 33.12N 91.55W
04/15/2011 ASHLEY AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES WERE DOWNED ALONG AR HIGHWAY 8 IN PARKDALE
&&
DLThe Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 188 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:41 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were blown down in the Log Cabin area.
Trees were blown down west of Oak Grove.
Several trees were blown down in the Oak Grove area. Some had blocked roadways.
An estimated wind gust of 55 mph was reported in Transylvania along with penny sized hail.
Trees and power lines were blown down in Newellton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Louisiana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, April 2011
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: 292985, 292986, 292988, 302979, 293106, 302453, 293125.