A cold front approached the region from the west on April 4th and 5th while a warm and moist airmass remained in place across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Moisture continued to increase ahead of the approaching frontal boundary, which fueled the development of numerous showers and thunderstorms.
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 LIX wrote it up.
A cold front approached the region from the west on April 4th and 5th while a warm and moist airmass remained in place across southeast Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Moisture continued to increase ahead of the approaching frontal boundary, which fueled the development of numerous showers and thunderstorms. The strongest convection moved across southwest Mississippi during the early morning hours of April 5th and produced heavy rainfall over a short period of time. While the overall severe weather threat was limited, repeated storms and locally heavy downpours led to flash flooding in parts of Pike 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 New Orleans, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 5, 4:57 AM CST, 3 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
557 AM CDT Sun Apr 5 2026
...New AVIATION...
.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 543 AM CDT Sun Apr 5 2026
- Warm with showers and thunderstorms ending today. There is a low
threat locally heavy rainfall and one or two severe
thunderstorms early this morning morning.
- Northerly winds behind a cold front today have necessitated
Small Craft Advisories beginning this evening, which could
continue further into the week.
- A prolonged period of easterly winds could increase the coastal
flood threat on east facing shorelines by mid week.
&&
.SHORT TERM...
(Tonight through Monday night)
Issued at 1149 PM CDT Sat Apr 4 2026
Showers and storms beginning to weaken this morning causing the
severe storm risk to lower. The cold front is currently from
Natchez to Alexadria then down into SE TX with sh/ts well ahead of
it. This activity will slowly sink to the coast today with some
lingering showers at the coast by sunset. Everyone should get some
rainfall today that has been much needed. A sfc low will get
organized along the thermal gradient near Brownsville this morning
and start to move east. The sfc front will be well out over the
gulf by Monday but the sfc low will sling a lot of moisture over
this shallow isentropic boundary to keep the cloud cover in
through Monday. High pressure will continue to slowly press south
through the day Monday sending the cloud cover into the gulf by
Monday night or Tue. Highs today and Monday will be brought back
to around 70F with a bit of a chill to the lows in the lower 50s
and even some upper 40s north tonight and Monday night.
&&
.LONG TERM...
(Tuesday night through Saturday night)
Issued at 1149 PM CDT Sat Apr 4 2026
The biggest concern in the long term will be a continued threat of at
least minor coastal flooding due to a spring tide cycle combined with
persistent east to southeasterly winds. Though it's too soon to say
exactly how high water levels may rise before high tides start
lowering, those who live in low lying coastal areas should continue to
monitor the forecast.
Otherwise, a continued gradual warming trend and a return to much
warmer than normal temperatures can be expected to end the work week.
Afternoon temperatures will warm into the low to mid 80s by Saturday,
which is about 10 degrees above normal for this time of year. Morning
lows will be similarly anomalous, only cooling into the low to mid 60s
by Saturday morning.
Regarding rain chances, latest trends have been toward a slightly
wetter forecast, especially Wednesday night through Thursday night as
moisture streams northward in response to a weak mid level disturbance
lifting from northern Mexico toward the Great Lakes region. Still quite
a bit of spread in the ensembles regarding where the best moisture
convergence will be, and thus, where the greatest rain chances will be.
Current forecast calls for best rain chances to be west of the local
area with generally isolated coverage locally. However, these values
could be adjusted upward if disturbance is a little slower to lift
northward.
&&
.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 543 AM CDT Sun Apr 5 2026
A mix of IFR and MVFR cigs will lift to VFR by noon today. There
will remain a high chance of SHRA with isolated TSRA through the
afternoon hours which could cause some tempo IFR conditions. Cigs
will be over the area all day and most of tonight but should be in
MVFR to VFR range by mid to late afternoon. All of the sh/ts
activity should move to the coast by sunset today with only
showers lingering near coastal terminals. Fropa will bring
norherly winds to the area today and this will be timed in the
current taf package.
&&
.MARINE...
Issued at 1149 PM CDT Sat Apr 4 2026
Southeast winds around 15 knots and seas of 2 to 4 feet will
lower today as a cold front approaches the coastal waters. Behind
the front, north to northeast winds will increase to 20 to 25 knots
for most waters, and Small Craft Advisories have been posted for
this Sunday night through Monday. Northeast winds will start the
week and slowly become easterly through the week remaining moderate
to high, ranging from 15 to 30kt, through much of the week bringing
hazardous marine conditions and headlines for much of the week.
&&
.LIX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
LA...None.
GM...Small Craft Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 7 PM CDT Monday
for GMZ530-532-534-536-538-550-552-555-557-570-572-575-577.
MS...None.
GM...Small Craft Advisory from 7 PM this evening to 7 PM CDT Monday
for GMZ532-534-536-538-550-552-555-557-570-572-575-577.
&&
SHORT TERM...TE
LONG TERM....TE
AVIATION...TE
MARINE...TESpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service New Orleans LA
118 AM CDT Sun Apr 5 2026
MSZ084-085-087-088-050715-
Southern Harrison MS-Northern Jackson MS-Southern Jackson MS-
Northern Harrison MS-
118 AM CDT Sun Apr 5 2026
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT PORTIONS OF EASTERN HARRISON AND
JACKSON COUNTIES THROUGH 215 AM CDT
...
At 118 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 6 miles west of Wade to Biloxi. Movement was
east at 10 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Moss Point, St. Martin,
Escatawpa, Gautier, D'iberville, Wade, Latimer, Big Point, Helena,
Gulf Hills, Hurley, Vancleave, Gulf Park Estates, Hickory Hills,
Lyman, and Gulfport Airport.
This includes the following Interstates...
Interstate 10 in Mississippi between mile markers 29 and 76.
Interstate 110 in Mississippi between mile markers 1 and 4.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3032 8841 3031 8844 3034 8863 3033 8873
3035 8880 3034 8883 3036 8887 3036 8908
3043 8922 3074 8879 3074 8841 3046 8840
3038 8841 3035 8839
TIME...MOT...LOC 0618Z 269DEG 9KT 3068 8866 3044 8898
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
MEFFERThe Mobile radar (KMOB), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:58 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A picture on social media showed water covering the entire roadway on Oak Cove Drive, north of Lemoyne Boulevard. Water extended well into yards with a depth estimated to be well over 1 foot.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, April 2026
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: 1334832.