A warm summertime pattern set up across the region. With plenty of moisture and instability present, showers and storms developed during the afternoon hours and brought hail and damaging winds to the region.
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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 warm summertime pattern set up across the region. With plenty of moisture and instability present, showers and storms developed during the afternoon hours and brought hail and damaging winds to 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 May 22, 2:12 PM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Jackson MS 312 PM CDT Fri May 22 2020 .DISCUSSION... Tonight and tomorrow... A warm day has unfolded across the region. Temperatures have reached the upper 80s and even 90 degrees at a few locations. Showers and storms have occurred across the southeast part of the state and these will continue through the afternoon. With decent lapse rates, there could be a strong storm or two with this activity. Storms should diminish with loss of daytime heating. As an upper level storm moves to the northeast of the region, there are some indications that the remnants of an MCS that will move through portions of the Southern Plains and into Arkansas could move into the Delta later this evening into overnight. Per hi-res model guidance, the most likely time for this would be after midnight, but confidence is not high that this will remain together and have left out of the forecast for now. Later shifts may want to monitor this potential. It is possible that this decaying system may leave a boundary for focus on storms tomorrow. It appears the best chances for storms will be around the Natchez Trace corridor. Highs tomorrow will once again be warm with more locations potentially reaching into the lower 90s. /28/ Tomorrow night through Thursday... Looking at 500mb, there are three predominant lows...one well defined over the upper Ohio River Valley, one over the NWrn CONUS, and a third developing over the Missouri River Valley. The third low is expected to continue to deepen, cutting off and moving a little more slowly eastward, but finally kicking the eastern low out to the Atlantic coast. At the surface, a Bermuda High and a developing low pressure region over the Rockies keeps the flow southerly in the southeast, pulling plenty of warmer air and moisture into ArkLaMiss and surrounding areas. This will ultimately mean a continued hot and muggy holiday weekend. With temperatures in the upper 80s/lower 90s, and moisture increasing through the weekend, there will be plenty of general instability...but the lapse rates will lessen slightly with time. Showers and thunderstorms will continue to be a threat, particularly in the afternoon/evening hours with a steady diurnal impact. As the week progresses, the low over the NW will see a series of shortwaves pivoting through the trough...deepening the trough/amplifying the pattern and perpetuating the inflow of hot temps and moisture. Sets up a forecast with persistent temps about 5 degrees above normal and scattered showers and thunderstorms, particularly in the afternoon...but also with varying degrees of isentropic influence with the amplifying pattern. PW values range from 1.4-1.8 through midweek, but the lifting mechanism is the trick. Regardless, a hot and summery pattern in place through the forecast. /HJS/ && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF discussion: VFR conditions will mostly prevail through the period. Some showers or thunderstorms may affect KHBG/KPIB/KMEI through this evening before diminishing. MVFR to potentially IFR ceilings will occur after midnight and before daybreak tomorrow. These should lift by 14Z tomorrow back to VFR. Additional showers and storms will be possible again tomorrow. /28/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Jackson 71 90 69 89 / 17 30 6 25 Meridian 70 90 67 90 / 23 31 4 22 Vicksburg 73 89 71 89 / 13 28 8 32 Hattiesburg 71 90 69 89 / 23 35 4 29 Natchez 71 88 71 87 / 13 32 7 38 Greenville 73 89 72 89 / 8 20 9 23 Greenwood 72 89 71 90 / 11 23 9 23 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...None. LA...None. AR...None. && HJS/28
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Jackson MS 355 AM CDT Fri May 22 2020 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-072>074- 230900- 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- Noxubee-Issaquena-Sharkey-Yazoo-Madison MS-Leake-Neshoba-Kemper- Warren-Hinds-Rankin-Scott-Newton-Lauderdale-Claiborne-Copiah- Simpson-Smith-Jasper-Clarke-Jefferson-Adams-Franklin MS-Lincoln- Lawrence-Jefferson Davis-Covington-Jones-Marion-Lamar-Forrest- 355 AM CDT Fri May 22 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of southeast Arkansas, northeast Louisiana, central Mississippi, north central Mississippi, and south central Mississippi. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday 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 Thursday. 23 && ...HAZARD LEGEND... No short term hazards expected. ...USEFUL WEATHER WEB PAGES (URLS)... NWS JAN Home page... https://www.weather.gov/jan Stay Aware, Stay Safe NWS JAN Briefing Page... https://www.weather.gov/jan/safe Latest Weather Briefing... https://www.weather.gov/jan/weather_briefing Find NWS JAN on Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/NWSJacksonMS Follow NWS JAN on Twitter... @NWSJacksonMS Follow NWS JAN on Youtube... https://www.youtube.com/user/NWSJacksonMiss
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Jackson MS
304 PM CDT Fri May 22 2020
MSZ066-222045-
Jones MS-
304 PM CDT Fri May 22 2020
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT EASTERN JONES COUNTY UNTIL 345
PM CDT...
At 304 PM CDT, Meteorologists were tracking a strong thunderstorm
over Tuckers Crossing, or near Laurel, moving northeast at 25 mph.
Dime size hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with
this storm.
This strong thunderstorm will be near...
Mill Creek around 320 PM CDT.
Sandersville around 330 PM CDT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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.
&&
LAT...LON 3150 8903 3163 8925 3181 8912 3183 8894
3162 8894
TIME...MOT...LOC 2004Z 211DEG 20KT 3164 8909
JNEThe Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:17 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down onto a house on Carter Avenue.
Golf ball size hail fell on Jasper County Road 23.
Trees were blown down onto Jasper County Road 23.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, May 2020
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: 882408, 882409, 882410.