A powerful storm system swept across the region during the late evening hours pushing a strong cold front across the ArkLaMiss. One storm associated with this system downed numerous trees across northern Ashley County.
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 powerful storm system swept across the region during the late evening hours pushing a strong cold front across the ArkLaMiss. One storm associated with this system downed numerous trees across northern Ashley County.
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 22, 9:42 PM CST, 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 942 PM CST SUN JAN 22 2012 .UPDATE...VIGOROUS LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM MEMPHIS BACK TOWARD WEST CENTRAL LA AT THIS TIME. IT APPEARS THE LINE WILL BEGIN TO AFFECT OUR FAR NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR SO...WITH TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ALL POSSIBLE ALONG THE LINE AS IT MOVES EAST. THIS RISK IS MAXIMIZED NORTH OF I-20 AND WILL KEEP THIS AREA HIGHLIGHTED IN THE HWO/GRAPHICS. ITS QUITE LIKELY THAT THE TORNADO WATCH WILL BE EXPANDED TO THE EAST OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS AHEAD OF THE LINE. WE'RE ALSO WATCHING ADDITIONAL SHOWER DEVELOPMENT AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE THAT EXTENDS FROM GRENADA BACK TO NATCHEZ FOR POSSIBLE STRENGTHENING. THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THESE SHOWERS ARE LOCATED IS VERY FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT IF STORMS CAN GET GOING...DEFINITELY SOMETHING TO KEEP AN EYE ON. AS FOR THE FORECAST ELEMENTS...RAISED OVERNIGHT LOWS FOR AREAS GENERALLY EAST OF I-55 AS ITS UNLIKELY THE COLD FRONT WILL MAKE IT THROUGH THOSE AREAS BEFORE SUNRISE. OTHERWISE JUST MINOR ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE TO THE GOING FORECAST. UPDATED PRODUCTS ARE POSTED. /BK/ && PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 351 PM CST SUN JAN 22 2012/ .SIGNIFICANT SEVERE EVENT EXPECTED THIS EVENING INTO EARLY MONDAY... DISCUSSION...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON REMAINS THE SEVERE WEATHER EVENT THAT'S EXPECTED TO IMPACT A GOOD CHUNK OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING INTO EARLY MONDAY MORNING. IN THE WAKE OF A NORTHWARD LIFTING WARM FRONT...AN IMPRESSIVE SURGE OF MOISTURE HAS BEEN ONGOING THROUGH THE DAY AS DEW POINTS BEGAN THIS MORNING IN THE MID 40S-LOWER 50S...AND NOW SIT IN THE MID 60S AREAWIDE. ONCE AGAIN...THIS IS JUST ONE INGREDIENT OF MANY THAT CONTINUE TO LOOK TO COME TOGETHER TONIGHT CAUSING US TO HAVE THIS SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL OVER MUCH OF THE DEEP SOUTH. THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE POSSIBLE AS A STRENGTHENING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MAKES ITS WAY EAST OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON...AND BEGINS TO EJECT NORTHEAST AND INTO THE MID-MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND OHIO/TENNESSEE RIVER VALLEYS LATE TONIGHT. THIS TROUGH WILL BE THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND A STRONG SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM THAT'LL ALSO QUICKLY LIFT NORTHEAST INTO THE MID-MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY TOWARDS THE GREAT LAKES REGION WHILE DRAGGING A COLD FRONT INTO AND THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TONIGHT. AHEAD OF AND ALONG THIS FRONT...THE COMBINATION OF AMPLE RICH GULF MOISTURE...STRONG DEEP AND LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR...AND COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT WILL CAUSE SOME STORMS THAT DEVELOP OVER THE AREA TO BECOME SEVERE...HAVING THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS OF 60-80 MPH...LARGE HAIL TO THE SIZE OF GOLFBALLS...AS WELL AS TORNADOES...SOME OF WHICH COULD BE STRONG. THE BEST TIME FRAME FOR ALL OF THIS WILL GENERALLY BE FROM 6 THIS EVENING UNTIL 4 AM MONDAY. WITH SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS TRAPPED UNDER THE CAP ONGOING DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON...MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT ACTIVITY COULD BEGIN TO RAMP UP ACROSS MY WEST AS EARLY 6 PM...BUT LIKELY NOT UNTIL AFTER WHEN THE BETTER ASCENT MOVES IN TO BREAK THE CAP...WHEN SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS BEGIN COMING TOGETHER OVER NORTHERN LOUISIANA...SOUTHERN ARKANSAS...AND THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA. HERE THE LOW LEVEL JET BEGINS TO STRENGTHEN TO BETWEEN 50-60 KNOTS AT 850MB CAUSING STRONG ADVECTION OF 325-330K THETA-E AIR ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. SHOWERS WILL LIKELY BEGIN TO DEVELOP IN THIS MOISTURE AXIS ACROSS NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AT FIRST. AS THE FRONT GETS CLOSER AND ASCENT INCREASES AHEAD OF IT WITHIN THIS MOISTURE RICH AND STRONG SHEARED ENVIRONMENT...CELLS SHOULD BEGIN TO INTENSIFY THROUGH THE EVENING AND INTO TONIGHT EVENTUALLY LEADING TO DISCRETE SUPERCELLS MOVING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA AS THE MID-LEVEL CAP STEADILY ERODES. HIGH-RES MODELS ALSO SUPPORT THESE DISCRETE CELLS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE FRONT. IMPRESSIVE 0-1KM HELICITY VALUES ON THE ORDER OF 300-400M^2/S^2 WILL LIKELY YIELD SOME TORNADIC SUPERCELLS DURING THE NIGHT...SOME OF WHICH COULD BE STRONG... ESPECIALLY OVER AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR. A BROKEN LINE OF STORMS IS EXPECTED ALONG THE FRONT AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...GENERALLY BETWEEN 05-11Z...AS THIS FRONT WILL MOVE INTO AN AIRMASS CHARACTERIZED BY MLCAPE VALUES RANGING FROM 800-1100J/KG AND 0-3KM HELICITY VALUES OF 400-500M^2/S^2. IN ADDITION TO THAT...THE AIRMASS WILL CONTAIN 26-29C VERTICAL TOTALS AS A 120-130 KNOT UPPER LEVEL JET NOSES INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST ALONG THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR. THIS HAS YIELDED A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR...WITH THE REST OF THE CWA CATEGORIZED WITH A SLIGHT RISK. EMBEDDED BOWING STRUCTURES ALONG THIS LINE WILL BE THE BIGGER CONCERN ALONG WITH THE HIGHER POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE...BUT TORNADOES STILL CANNOT BE RULED OUT WITH THIS FRONT. DUE TO THE QUICK PACE OF THE FRONT...SHOWERS AND STORMS SHOULD BE EAST AND OUT OF THE CWA WELL BEFORE DAY BREAK MONDAY MORNING. SLIGHTLY COOLER...BUT MUCH DRIER AIR...WILL BEGIN TO PUSH INTO THE REGION THROUGH THE DAY AS SKIES GRADUALLY CLEAR OUT AND HIGHS RANGE FROM THE LOWER 60S NORTH TO THE LOWER 70S SOUTH...WHILE LOWS MONDAY NIGHT COOL INTO THE 40S. /19/ && .AVIATION... LINE OF VIGOROUS SHWRS/TSRA EXTENDS FROM MEM TO JUST SOUTH SHV ATTM. THE LINE WILL CONTINUE ADVANCING EAST THRU THE NIGHT...PASSING THRU GTR/JAN 07-08Z...AND COMPLETELY INTO AL BY 12Z OR SO. WINDS WILL BE SRLY AND GUSTY UNTIL THE LINE PASSES WITH GUSTS TO 30 KTS PSBL...WITH WINDS BECMG SWRLY/WRLY AFTER THE LINE PASSES AND WEAKENING. A BRIEF PERIOD OF IFR CIG/VSBY IS PSBL AS CONVECTION PASSES OTHERWISE MVFR/VFR CONDS XPCTD MOST AREAS. IFR CIG WILL BE PSBL AT MEI/HBG AFTER 05Z UNTIL THE STORMS APPROACH. A TREND TOWARD VFR CONDS WILL QUICKLY DEVELOP AFTER THE COLD FRONT PASSES. /BK/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... JACKSON 60 67 42 67 / 70 12 0 43 MERIDIAN 62 70 40 67 / 75 14 0 44 VICKSBURG 53 64 41 67 / 62 10 0 39 HATTIESBURG 65 74 46 66 / 76 24 3 61 NATCHEZ 53 67 47 67 / 58 11 0 52 GREENVILLE 49 60 40 66 / 78 7 0 20 GREENWOOD 53 62 40 68 / 78 8 0 21 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. && BK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 113 PM CST SUN JAN 22 2012 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-MSZ018-019-025>058-065-066-231915- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON LA-BOLIVAR-SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE-GRENADA-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY- WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES-CHOCTAW-OKTIBBEHA-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS- HOLMES-ATTALA-WINSTON-NOXUBEE-ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-MADISON MS- LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER-WARREN-HINDS-RANKIN-SCOTT-NEWTON-LAUDERDALE- CLAIBORNE-COPIAH-SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER-CLARKE-COVINGTON-JONES- 113 PM CST SUN JAN 22 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A LARGE PORTION OF CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...SOME OF NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY A SIGNIFICANT EPISODE OF SEVERE STORMS IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AS A POWERFUL SYSTEM MOVES OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. SUFFICIENT LEVELS OF INSTABILITY WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND COMBINE WITH VERY STRONG WIND SHEAR TO SUPPORT SUPERCELL STORMS AND EVEN A BROKEN LINE OF STORMS. LOCATIONS NORTH OF A RAYVILLE TO HAZLEHURST TO LAUREL LINE HAVE THE GREATEST RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER. THE MAIN THREATS WILL BE TORNADOES...SOME STRONG...DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 TO 80 MPH AND HAIL UP TO GOLF BALL SIZE. STORMS WILL DEVELOP TO OUR WEST BY 6 PM...THEN STEADILY EVOLVE ACROSS OUR REGION DURING THE EVENING AND PRE DAWN HOURS. LOCATIONS ALONG AND WEST OF A PORT GIBSON TO GRENADA LINE WILL SEE STORMS BETWEEN 7 AND 11 PM. LOCATIONS EAST OF THAT LINE WILL HAVE ACTIVITY OCCUR BETWEEN 10 PM AND 4 AM. EVERYONE IS URGED TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR UPDATES AND OUTLOOKS CONCERNING THIS POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY 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 WILL BE NEEDED TONIGHT. LAZ023>026-MSZ059>064-072>074-231915- FRANKLIN LA-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CONCORDIA-JEFFERSON-ADAMS- FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN-LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 113 PM CST SUN JAN 22 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI AND NORTHEAST LOUISIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND MONDAY A CHANCE OF STRONG AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST TONIGHT INTO THE PRE DAWN HOURS MONDAY. A POWERFUL SYSTEM WILL MOVE OUT OF THE SOUTHERN PLAINS TONIGHT AND COMBINE WITH SUFFICIENT LEVELS OF INSTABILITY AND VERY STRONG WIND SHEAR. THIS WILL SUPPORT A FEW SUPERCELL STORMS AND EVEN A BROKEN LINE OF STORMS. TORNADOES...DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL ALL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST ACTIVITY. LOCATIONS WEST OF I-55 WILL SEE ACTIVITY BETWEEN 7 PM AND MIDNIGHT...AREAS EAST OF THAT WILL SEE ACTIVITY BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 4 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY 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 WILL BE NEEDED TONIGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. CME
The Little Rock radar (KLZK), 168 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:12 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous trees were blown down across northern Ashley County. Hail of unknown size also fell.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, January 2012
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: 356872.