A quasi-stationary frontal boundary combined with low level moisture and cooling aloft|for strong instability. This brought some large hail and damaging winds across portions|of the region.
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 quasi-stationary frontal boundary combined with low level moisture and cooling aloft|for strong instability. This brought some large hail and damaging winds across portions|of the region.
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 17, 3:07 AM CST, 4 hours 37 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 407 AM CDT THU MAR 17 2016 .DISCUSSION...TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...AFTER A DRY PERIOD OF WEATHER ACROSS THE REGION THE PAST FEW DAYS...RAIN CHANCES CREEP BACK INTO THE FORECAST TODAY...WITH DECENT CHANCES CONTINUING THROUGHOUT THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. AS EXPECTED...THE FRONT THAT PUSHED THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA YESTERDAY...HAS BECOME QUASI- STATIONARY ACROSS SOUTH MISSISSIPPI AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA. OVER THE NEXT 48 HOURS...DESPITE WEAK AND VARYING NORTH TO EAST SURFACE FLOW CONTINUING TO PREVAIL ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE PERIOD...INCREASING WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW IN THE LOW LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL RESULT IN INCREASING MOISTURE ALOFT. WHILE THIS IS HAPPENING...A SERIES OF WEAK DISTURBANCES EMBEDDED IN ZONAL MID-LEVEL FLOW WILL TREK EAST ACROSS THE REGION. THIS COMBINATION...IN ADDITION TO AN INCREASING SUBTROPICAL JET ALONG THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF COAST...WILL RESULT IN SCATTERED SHOWERS...ALONG WITH SOME THUNDERSTORMS...DEVELOPING IN WAVES AND MOVING OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY NIGHT. IN ADDITION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN'T BE RULED OUT BOTH TODAY AND FRIDAY FROM MIDDAY THROUGH EARLY EVENING. THIS WILL PARTICULARLY BE THE CASE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A WINNSBORO LOUISIANA TO CRYSTAL SPRINGS MISSISSIPPI TO LAUREL MISSISSIPPI LINE. DESPITE THE OVERALL LACK OF FORCING...THE FRONT WILL MEANDER ABOUT ACROSS THIS PORTION OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE PERIOD. ALTHOUGH OVERALL FORCING WILL REMAIN WEAK...THIS...IN ADDITION TO ADEQUATE DEEP LAYER SHEAR AND RATHER STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES...COULD RESULT IN A FEW STORMS REACHING SEVERE LIMITS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE FRONT WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BE MORE UNSTABLE. CURRENTLY...HAIL LOOKS TO BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN WITH STORMS...BUT DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WILL CERTAINLY BE A POSSIBILITY. IT'S ALSO WORTH NOTING...THAT DUE TO ALREADY WET GROUND CONDITIONS ACROSS THIS AREA...TREES WILL BE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING UPROOTED BY LESSER WIND GUSTS...30-50 MPH...THAN THOSE OBSERVED IN SEVERE STORMS. A LIMITED THREAT FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED IN THIS MORNING'S HWO FOR BOTH TODAY AND FRIDAY. NORTH OF THE FRONT...ACTIVITY WILL BE MORE ELEVATED IN NATURE AND IN A LESS UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT. STILL...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CAN'T BE RULED OUT ALONG AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR. AS FAR AS TEMPERATURES ARE CONCERNED...LOOK FOR CONTINUED MILD CONDITIONS TODAY AND TONIGHT AS CLOUDS INCREASE THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE DAY. HIGHS THIS AFTERNOON WILL TOP OUT IN THE MIDDLE 70S...WHILE LOWS TONIGHT RANGE FROM THE LOWER 50S TO AROUND 60. SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES LOOK ON TAP FOR FRIDAY. HIGHS FRIDAY AFTERNOON CURRENTLY LOOK TO RANGE FROM THE UPPER 60S TO MID 70S. LOWS FRIDAY NIGHT WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S TO UPPER 50S. /19/ SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...SATURDAY WILL BE A TRANSITION DAY OVER THE CWA AS WE BEGIN FEELING THE AFFECTS OF THE MID LEVEL SYSTEM OVER THE OH VALLEY. WHILE WE WILL START OFF THE DAY WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH THE STALLED BOUNDARY NEAR THE COAST... VEERING FLOW PATTERN WILL FINALLY GIVE THE COASTAL BOUNDARY A NUDGE OUT TO SEA TAKING THE CONVECTION WITH IT. A REINFORCEMENT OF LOW LEVEL DRY/COOL AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE CWA SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY RESULTING IN MARKEDLY COOLER TEMPERATURES. HIGHS IN THE 50S WILL BE COMMON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS MINS DROP INTO THE 30S. WHILE CAA WILL PRECLUDE FROST DEVELOPMENT SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING...HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING OVER THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT WILL SETUP CALM WINDS AND EXCELLENT RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS. FROST FORMATION WILL BE A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY WHERE TEMPS CAN FALL INTO THE MID 30S OR LOWER WHICH LOOKS TO OCCUR PRIMARILY OVER THE EAST. MID LEVEL RIDGING FROM THE WEST DURING THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK WILL RESULT IN DRY WEATHER AND MODERATING TEMPERATURES./26/ && .AVIATION...WITH HIGH CLOUDS STREAMING EAST NORTHEAST ACROSS MAINLY CENTRAL AND SOUTH MISSISSIPPI...AND PATCHES OF STRATUS DOTTING SKIES AREAWIDE...VFR FLIGHT CATEGORIES ARE CURRENTLY PREVAILING AT TAF SITES THIS MORNING. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO GRADUALLY INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT...IN ADDITION TO SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR. THIS CONVECTION COULD BRIEFLY REDUCE FLIGHT CATEGORIES TO MVFR/IFR STATUS IS OBSERVED ON STATION. MVFR CEILINGS WILL THEN BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS INTO FRIDAY MORNING...IN ADDITION TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS CONTINUING TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION. WINDS TODAY WILL VARY FROM NORTHEAST TO EAST TODAY BETWEEN 4-9 KNOTS... AND REMAIN SUCH TONIGHT. /19/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... JACKSON 76 57 71 54 / 38 52 51 48 MERIDIAN 76 55 71 54 / 27 51 51 50 VICKSBURG 75 58 72 54 / 40 52 48 45 HATTIESBURG 77 60 73 58 / 60 60 63 57 NATCHEZ 76 61 73 54 / 55 59 60 56 GREENVILLE 74 53 68 49 / 20 39 39 35 GREENWOOD 76 52 69 49 / 17 32 40 35 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. && 19/26
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 425 AM CDT THU MAR 17 2016 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023-025-MSZ018-019-025>053-055>058- 172000- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA-TENSAS-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-SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER-CLARKE- 425 AM CDT THU MAR 17 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...AND SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... 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 IS NOT EXPECTED THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. LAZ024-026-MSZ054-059>066-072>074-172000- CATAHOULA-CONCORDIA-COPIAH-JEFFERSON-ADAMS-FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN- LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON-JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 425 AM CDT THU MAR 17 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...AND SOUTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THREAT...LIMITED TIMING...TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA FROM MIDDAY THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS GUSTS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. (WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICAST.PHP?SITE=JAN&GC=1) .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHEAST MISSISSIPPI...AND PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST LOUISIANA ON FRIDAY. (WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/GRAPHICAST.PHP?SITE=JAN&GC=1) .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 FOR PORTIONS OF THE REGION TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY. 19 && ...HAZARD LEGEND... *SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS* EXTREME...CONFIDENT IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIND GUSTS OF 75 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR 2 INCH DIAMETER OR LARGER HAIL. SIGNIFICANT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE WITH WIND GUSTS OF 75 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR 2 INCH DIAMETER OR LARGER HAIL. ELEVATED...CONFIDENT IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH WINDS GUSTS OF 60 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR 1 INCH DIAMETER OR LARGER HAIL. LIMITED...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE WITH WIND GUSTS OF 60 MPH OR GREATER AND/OR 1 INCH DIAMETER OR LARGER HAIL. ...USEFUL WEATHER WEB PAGES (URLS)... NWS JAN HOME PAGE... WWW.WEATHER.GOV/JAN STAY AWARE, STAY SAFE NWS JAN BRIEFING PAGE... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN/?N=SAFE FIND NWS JAN ON FACEBOOK... WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/NWSJACKSONMS FOLLOW NWS JAN ON TWITTER... @NWSJACKSONMS ...ADDITIONAL URLS FOR SEVERE WEATHER ISSUES... STORM PREDICTION CENTER (SPC)... WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/ SPC...MESO ANALYSIS... WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/EXPER/MESOANALYSIS/NEW/# SPC...DAY 1 THROUGH 3 OUTLOOKS... WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/OUTLOOK/ SPC...STORM REPORTS... WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/CLIMO/ NWS JAN CURRENT SVR/TOR WATCHES... WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/RTIMAGES/JAN/WATCH/TOASVA.PNG PLEASE CONVERT ALL WEB ADDRESSES TO LOWER CASE BEFORE ENTERING!
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
816 AM CDT THU MAR 17 2016
MSZ059-061-062-171345-
LINCOLN MS-FRANKLIN MS-JEFFERSON MS-
816 AM CDT THU MAR 17 2016
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT FRANKLIN...WESTERN LINCOLN AND
SOUTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES UNTIL 845 AM CDT...
AT 815 AM CDT...METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM
NEAR KIRBY...OR 21 MILES NORTHWEST OF LIBERTY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
55 MPH.
NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM.
THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
BUDE AROUND 820 AM CDT.
NEW HOPE AROUND 825 AM CDT.
MCCALL CREEK AROUND 830 AM CDT.
VAUGHN AND CASEYVILLE AROUND 840 AM CDT.
OTHER LOCATIONS IMPACTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE MEADVILLE.
THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND
TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
LAT...LON 3148 9108 3174 9074 3170 9073 3170 9066
3142 9044 3135 9082 3135 9099
TIME...MOT...LOC 1315Z 239DEG 47KT 3145 9094
17The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
29 hail, 20 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A lone thunderstorm produced a swath of hail across portions of Franklin County. The largest hail that occurred was baseball size hail four miles northeast of Little Springs. Quarter to ping pong ball size hail also occurred about three miles east northeast of Little Springs.
A swath of large hail occurred over southern portions of the county as a supercell thunderstorm tracked into and across from Franklin County. The largest hail was|tennis ball size which occurred near Ruth. Golfball size hail fell a mile southeast of Center Point and lime size hail fell near Bogue Chitto.
Quarter sized hail fell in Brookhaven. Nickel sized hail also fell four miles west of Brookhaven on California Road.
Ping pong ball sized hail fell around the county line. The storm tracked south into Walthall county and continued to produce large hail. Baseball sized hail occurred one mile south of the county line.
Nickel to quarter sized hail occurred near Oma.
A swath of hail up to tennis ball sized occurred across Marion County as a supercell moved into the county from Walthall County. Golfball sized hail fell near Morgantown, and at the Emergency Operations Center in Columbia. The largest was tennis ball sized hail and this occurred in Foxworth. Quarter sized hail also fell about six miles east of Columbia along Highway 98. The storm then tracked into Lamar County.
Dime to quarter sized hail fell southeast of Magee to three miles east of Magee.
A swath of large hail up to baseball sized hail occurred across Lamar County. This occurred as a supercell thunderstorm tracked into the county from Marion County. Ping pong ball size hail occurred near Pinebur as the storm entered the county from Marion County. It then intensified and produced golfball size hail along Purvis-Oloh Road southwest of West Hattiesburg. The largest hail occurred northwest of Purvis. Tennis ball sized hail occurred at Purvis Oloh Road and Lookout Tower Road and baseball sized hail also occurred near this location. Golfball size hail also fell at the Lamar County Emergency Operations Center in Purvis. The storm then tracked into Forrest County.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Beaver Lake Road four miles east of Purvis.
A supercell thunderstorm tracked into Forrest County from Lamar County. It continued to produce a swath of mostly quarter sized hail across the central portion of the county. This occurred in the Dixie community along Dubose Road. There was also quarter sized hail on Elks Lake Road about four miles west of McLaurin.
Trees were blown down on Highway 49. Both lanes were blocked.
Nickel to quarter sized hail occurred on 1267 Main Street.
Quarter sized hail occurred in Pleasant Hill.
A thunderstorm tracked across the northern part of the county and produced a swath of large hail. The storm initially produced quarter to golfball size hail in Caseyville. Golfball sized hail also fell near Lloyd Star at the attendance center on Highway 550. The largest hail that fell was lime size, near the Hillcrest Church of Christ north of Brookhaven on Highway 51.
Nickel to quarter sized hail occurred along Interstate 55 just west of Wesson.
Power lines were blown down, which caused power outages in the Montgomery Community northeast of Brookhaven.
Numerous trees were blown down as well as power outages in Vicksburg. There was siding blown off and wind damage to roofs on Highway 61S.
Quarter sized hail covered the ground in Fayette.
A swath of hail occurred across portions of Lawrence County. A lot of golfball size hail fell at Brad's One Stop near Wanilla. Golfball size hail also fell at Georgia Pacific along NA Sandifer Highway northwest of Silver Creek. Golfball size hail also fell at Miles Lumber Company Yard north northeast of Silver Creek.
A tree blew down on a house on 2035 Old No. 3rd. on Port Gibson Road.
A roof was blown off a mobile home and barn off Bassfield Cemetary Road.
Roof damage occurred at Tracetown Mall on Sgt. South Prentiss Drive.
A tree was blown down across Jordan Hill Road.
Trees were blown down along Benson Road, Hooker Road, and Fire Tower Road northwest of Silver Creek.
A roof was blown off of Miles Lumber Company building.
One person was injured when the roof was partially blown off of a home. Several other homes sustained roof damage. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down.
A tin roof was blown off a Bowling Alley on John R Junkin Road.
Quarter to golf ball sized hail occurred.
A tree was blown down on east St. Stephens Road and blocked the road.
Numerous trees blew down around the county and many had blocked roads.
Golf ball sized hail occurred on Ferguson Mill Road.
Quarter sized hail fell along Interstate 55 at exit 30 at Bogue Chitto.
Three trees were blown down on Rayner Road. One tree was blown down across Westside Drive. Power lines were also blown down. Trees were also blown down around the county...but mainly in Moselle. A tree had blown down on a house on Sellers Road near Ovett Moselle Road.
Numerous trees were blown down.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down. A roof ripped off a trailer.
Quarter size hail occurred along Highway 590.
A few trees were blown down around Columbia on Broad Street near Columbia.
A tree was blown down on a house on Rankin Road.
Trees were blown down around the Carnes area.
Flooding occurred on Worth Nall Road, Entrekin Road, Fairley Road and Landrum Road.
Lightning struck a house on Glenwood Bend and it caught on fire.
Nickel to quarter size hail fell with several large chunks of at least golfball size.
Dime sized hail fell on Avon-Darlove Road.
There was some flooding in residential areas west of US Highway 61.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, March 2016
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: 623136, 623142, 623135, 623459, 623460, 623461, 623462, 623464, 623465, 623467, 623730, 626558, 623470, 623471, 623472, 623475, 623484, 623487, 623489, 623490, 623491, 623492, 623493, 623494, 623495, 626563, 623690, 626566, 623502, 623518, 623523, 623527, 623529, 623496, 623691, 623692, 623693, 623694, 623695, 623696, and more.