Thunderstorms developed in association with a cold front moving through the area. Some of these storms produced damaging winds, and one storm produced a tornado in Copiah 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.
Thunderstorms developed in association with a cold front moving through the area. Some of these storms produced damaging winds, and one storm produced a tornado in Copiah County. Some flash flooding also occurred.
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 25, 3:39 PM CST, 2 hours 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 339 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012 .SHORT TERM...CONVECTION THAT DEVELOPED OVER SWRN ZONES THIS AFTERNOON IN A REGION OF INCREASING CAPE AND GOOD AFTERNOON HEATING WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING IF RESIDUAL CAPPING CAN BE ERODED. HOWEVER EARLIER AFTERNOON CONVECTION WILL BE OVERSHADOWED AS AN INTENSE SQUALL LINE APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THE BRUNT OF THE SEVERE WEATHER RISK FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL OCCUR WITH THE SQUALL LINE AS IT MOVES INTO AND ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THE BETTER RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS...INCLUDING TORNADOES...WILL OCCUR ACROSS AREAS WEST OF I-55 IN A REGION OF INTENSE SHEAR ASSOCIATED WITH A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET PUSHING WELL AHEAD OF A DEEP UPPER LOW SYSTEM. 0-1KM HELICITY VALUES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS ARE RUNNING WELL ABOVE 200 UPSTREAM OF US THIS AFTERNOON AND ALTHOUGH SHEAR WILL GRADUALLY RELAX WITH TIME AS THE SURFACE LOW MOVES FARTHER EWD...THEY WILL REMAIN MORE THAN SUFFICIENTLY STRONG FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TORNADIC STORMS AS THE SQUALL LINE MOVES INTO OUR WRN ZONES. 60 DEGREE SURFACE DEWPOINTS HAVE REACHED INTO ALL BUT NERN ZONES THIS AFTERNOON AND CAPE VALUES WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AHEAD OF THE SURFACE BOUNDARY. TIMING OF THE SQUALL LINE HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE CONSIDERING IT HAS BEEN RUNNING AT LEAST 3 HOURS FASTER THAN THE LATEST MODEL SOLUTIONS. THE LINE OF STORMS IS EXPECTED TO REACH THE MS RIVER BETWEEN 6-8 PM...THE EWD PROGRESSION EXPECTED TO BEGIN TO SLOW A BIT THIS EVENING AS THE SURFACE LOW UPSTREAM SLOWS AND BEGINS A MORE NELY PIVOT. THE SQUALL LINE WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK EWD ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT BUT ASSOCIATED LOW LEVEL FORCING/DYNAMICS WILL DIMINISH. HOWEVER...A CHANCE OF STRONG TO SEVERE CONVECTION WILL BE MAINTAINED E OF I-55 TONIGHT BEFORE THE LINE FALLS APART. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL BE DELAYED WHILE A SECOND LOBE PIVOTS AROUND THE LOW CENTER AND WILL FINALLY MOVE INTO WRN ZONES TOWARD SUNRISE THURSDAY. LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL REMAIN SWLY THROUGH MOST OF THE DAY THURSDAY...THE AIR MASS REMAINING AT LEAST MARGINALLY UNSTABLE ACROSS THE REGION. WITH A POCKET OF COLDER AIR ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER LOW MOVING IN DURING THE DAY WE WILL KEEP A POTENTIAL FOR STRONG...POSSIBLY SEVERE...STORMS CAPABLE OF HAIL OR GUSTY WINDS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. AS FAR AS LATER EVOLUTION OF THE UPPER LOW IS CONCERNED FOR THURSDAY NIGHT...THE GFS AND EURO ARE IN DISAGREEMENT...THE EURO ADVERTISING BETTER RAIN CHANCES ACROSS THE NORTH AS THE LOW OPENS AND PIVOTS TO THE NE WHILE THE GFS PUSHES A STILL CLOSED LOW ACROSS SRN MS. WILL BROAD BRUSH CHANCE OF SHOWERS...FEW TSTMS...ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA FOR NOW FOR THURSDAY EVENING...ENDING FROM THE WEST OVERNIGHT IN THE WAKE OF THE UPPER TROUGH. .LONG TERM...THERE ARE MODEL DIFFERENCES REGARDING INTERACTION BETWEEN THE DEPARTING MID LEVEL TROUGH AND THE NORTHERN STREAM FRIDAY WITH THE GFS BEING A SLOWER SOLUTION. ITS SOLUTION INDICATES LINGERING RAIN CHANCES FOR THE I-59 CORRIDOR FRIDAY MORNING...BUT WILL GO WITH THE FASTER MODEL CONSENSUS AND DRY FORECAST FOR NOW...OTHERWISE EXPECT DRIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA FOR FRIDAY BEHIND THE FRONT. GOING INTO THE WEEKEND...GLOBAL MODELS CONTINUE TO AGREE THAT NORTHWEST FLOW WILL BRING DRY AND SEASONABLY COOL WEATHER TO THE ARKLAMISS. SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT STILL LOOKS TO BE THE COOLEST PERIOD AND WHEN THE POLAR VORTEX WILL HAVE ITS GREATEST INFLUENCE...BUT MODELS HAVE TRENDED SLIGHTLY LESS AMPLIFIED RESULTING IN MILDER TEMPERATURES THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECAST. RAW MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THERE WILL BE MORE OF A NORTH-SOUTH TEMPERATURE GRADIENT FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON THAN INDICATED BY MEX MOS AND HAVE ADJUSTED GUIDANCE VALUES ACCORDINGLY. OTHERWISE...GUIDANCE VALUES ARE PRETTY REASONABLE AND MADE ONLY MINOR TWEAKS. FOR EARLY TO MID NEXT WEEK...THE OVERALL PATTERN WILL FLATTEN RESULTING IN MODERATING TEMPERATURES AND INCREASING RETURN FLOW AS HIGH PRESSURE SHIFTS EAST. WEAK SHORTWAVE TROUGHS IN THE FAST FLOW COULD BRING INCREASING RAIN CHANCES AS WE GO INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...BUT NONE OF THESE WAVES LOOK OVERLY AMPLIFIED OR SUPPORTIVE OF MUCH TSTM ACTIVITY. IN ANY CASE...JANUARY SHOULD END AND FEBRUARY SHOULD BEGIN ON AN UNSEASONABLY MILD NOTE. /EC/ && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS EXIST CURRENTLY BUT RAPID DEGRADATION IN VIS/CIGS TO IFR AND LIFR CONDITIONS AT TIMES...WILL OCCUR FROM WEST TO EAST AS A STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORM SQUALL LINE PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. EXTREME TURBULENCE CAN BE EXPECTED INVOF LINE OF STORMS WITH 60 KT SFC WINDS POSSIBLE. CLOUD TOPS WILL REACH TO NEAR 45KFT. THE SQUALL LINE WILL DIMINISH IN STRENGTH THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS THURSDAY. FAR EAST AREAS WILL HOLD VFR TO MVFR LONGEST THROUGH LATE EVENING BEFORE CIGS DROP BELOW 1 KFT THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS THURSDAY. IFR TO MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY WITH CONTINUED SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE REGION. /ALLEN/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... JACKSON 60 72 43 62 / 88 63 37 9 MERIDIAN 61 73 47 66 / 72 79 35 12 VICKSBURG 59 72 40 59 / 94 54 36 5 HATTIESBURG 61 74 50 65 / 64 77 36 10 NATCHEZ 60 69 44 60 / 94 49 36 6 GREENVILLE 57 66 40 57 / 99 67 34 3 GREENWOOD 61 71 40 59 / 97 74 35 6 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. && 03/EC/ALLEN
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 128 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>027-034>036- 040>043-047>049-053>055-059>063-261930- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CONCORDIA-BOLIVAR- SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE-GRENADA-CARROLL-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES- ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-MADISON MS-WARREN-HINDS-RANKIN-CLAIBORNE- COPIAH-SIMPSON-JEFFERSON-ADAMS-FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN-LAWRENCE- 128 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND THURSDAY STRONG AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AND INTO THURSDAY MORNING ALONG AND WEST OF I-55 CORRIDOR. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS BUT QUARTER SIZED HAIL AND A FEW TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF A SQUALL LINE. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE WITH THE SQUALL LINE AS IT PUSHES INTO THE AREA THIS EVENING AND MOVES EASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT. STRONG...POSSIBLY SEVERE...STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AGAIN THURSDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON WITH THE MAIN RISK BEING LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS. THE RISK WILL DIMINISH THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS THURSDAY AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PUSHES THROUGH THE REGION. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY 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 AND THURSDAY. MSZ028>033-037>039-044>046-050>052-056>058-064>066-072>074-261930- MONTGOMERY-WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES-CHOCTAW-OKTIBBEHA-ATTALA-WINSTON- NOXUBEE-LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER-SCOTT-NEWTON-LAUDERDALE-SMITH-JASPER- CLARKE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON-JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 128 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND THURSDAY STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL SHIFT ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT THROUGH MID-DAY THURSDAY. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS AT THAT TIME WILL BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS BUT HAIL AND ONE OR TWO TORNADOES CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. THE RISK OF TORNADOES WILL DIMINISH BY THE AFTERNOON BUT STRONG...POSSIBLY SEVERE...STORMS CAPABLE OF DIME TO QUARTER SIZE HAIL WILL POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY 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 AND THURSDAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. ALLEN/03
LAZ024-026-252225-
CONCORDIA LA-CATAHOULA LA-
342 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
342 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012
A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 40 TO 50 MPH
WINDS WAS LOCATED FROM 20 MILES WEST OF AIMWELL TO 39 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF LARTO AT 342 PM CST...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE
ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
THESE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN CATAHOULA AND
WEST CENTRAL CONCORDIA PARISHES SHOULD MONITOR THESE STORMS CLOSELY.
LAT...LON 3131 9201 3185 9201 3185 9174 3122 9175
3122 9179 3126 9183 3129 9191 3128 9194
3125 9193 3124 9191 3122 9192 3123 9196
3122 9199 3128 9203
TIME...MOT...LOC 2142Z 269DEG 27KT 3176 9230 3135 9229
3099 9235
BKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
345 PM CST WED JAN 25 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0245 AM TSTM WND DMG 2 NE MARION 32.45N 88.62W
01/23/2012 LAUDERDALE MS EMERGENCY MNGR
MOBILE HOME DAMAGED AND TREES AND POWERLINES DOWN ON SAM
LACKEY ROAD. UPDATE FROM EMERGENCY MANAGER...A FEW TREES
WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED AND THERE WAS SHINGLE DAMAGE TO
BOTH A MOBILE HOME AND SINGLE FAMILY HOME ROOF.
&&
SWILKINSThe Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:25 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Power lines were blown down along New Sight Drive.
Trees were snapped and uprooted and one fell across a power line snapping the pole. Part of the tin roof of a barn was damaged also. Maximum wind speeds were estimated at 90 mph.
A wall cloud was also reported in the area.
Several roads and intersections were inundated with water, including portions of Highway 49.
Street flooding was reported around Laurel. Portions of Interstate 59 were covered with water for a short period of time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Mississippi, 2012Warnings in Mississippi, 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: 357489, 357492, 357491, 357493, 357494.