A cluster of severe storms occurred across portions of central MS during the evening hours of May 17, 2026. Strong winds caused multiple trees and powerlines to be blown down.
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 cluster of severe storms occurred across portions of central MS during the evening hours of May 17, 2026. Strong winds caused multiple trees and powerlines to be blown down. Some of these storms had hail up to quarter size.
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 17, 12:29 PM CST, 4 hours 33 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Jackson MS 129 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026 ...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... - A few strong to isolated severe storms are possible today in southwest Mississippi, northeast Louisiana and southeast Arkansas. - Heat and humidity more typical of early summer can be expected along with increasing thunderstorm chances next week. && .MESOSCALE UPDATE... Issued at 1157 AM CDT Sun May 17 2026 Rest of today and tonight... The region remains on the western periphery of subtropical ridging to the east and mean troughing gradually deepening over the Intermountain West to Pacific Northwest into mid to late Sunday. With warm/moist advection (thermal profiles at 850mb in the mid to upper teens and PWs climbing to 1.5 to 2 inches), an increase in cloud coverage and some rain chances will be possible across southwest MS and northeast LA this afternoon into early evening. Seasonable warmth is expected today, some 4F to 8F above (highs: 85F to 91F). Thermodynamic parameters remain sufficient (7.0 to 7.5 deg C mid level lapse rates;25C to 28C vertical totals; MLCAPE (1000-1500J/kg) and SBCAPE (1500-2500J/kg). There is some weak deep shear (20 to 35kts) that could support some strong to isolated severe storms in southwest MS into northeast LA on Sunday afternoon to evening. In conjunction with Storm Prediction Center (SPC), added a Marginal in portions of southwest MS, northeast LA and southeast AR. Hazards are damaging wind gusts and hail up to quarter size. This has the setup of a typical diurnal summertime pulse storms/microbursts. Return flow of low level moisture will bring some low clouds and visibility reductions, but dense fog is unlikely as HREF dense fog probabilities remain low. Holding off any mention in the HWO. Forecast and HWO updates were shipped out earlier. Lows will be seasonably warm, some 10F to 15F above (65F to 69F east of I-55 to 70F to 73F along and west of I-55). /DC/ && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 128 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026 Through the work week (Monday through Friday)... Cold core low, developing over the Four Corners, will eject into the northern Plains to Great Lakes and into Canada and Hudson Bay region. Persistent seasonable warmth (4F to 8F above and highs in 86F to 91F) and moisture (forecasts of 1.5 to 2 inches and GOES East satellite derived PWs generally similar) will be the norm. Summertime pattern is on tap, with scattered rain and storm currently developing and later coverage (20 to 50 percent) and increased heat and humidity. With some steep lapse rates (vertical totals near 27C to 29C), some strong to isolated severe cannot be ruled out into early to mid week (as early as Monday but most likely Tuesday into Wednesday). There is an ongoing Marginal outlook for northwest to northern areas in the Hwy 82 corridor Tuesday afternoon to evening. There is support of diurnal microburst potential and pulse severe but deep flow/bulk shear will be light and variable and storm organization mostly driven by storms that are favorably oriented low level bulk shear. As a stronger wave swings into the Great Lakes and surface low ejects into eastern Canada (995mb to 1000mb), front will shift south southeast towards the Gulf states. A southern stream shortwave will enhance upper diffluence, increasing ascent and moisture advection. This will drive higher coverage of rain and storms (45 to 90 percent Wednesday and 55 to 75 percent on Thursday).High temperatures will be seasonable, with lows less seasonable, falling from 8F to 12F above (upper 60s to low 70s west) to 4F to 8F above (mid to upper 60s). With less seasonable temperatures, humidity and lapse rates, some stronger storms are likely and marginally severe storms remain possible. Mid to deep layer bulk shear will remain sufficient (around 30kts), with low level shear around 15-25kts. This will keep potential marginally severe concerns through the remainder of the work week (Wednesday through Friday). Rain totals for the week will be around a couple of inches (1 to 3 inches), which will help lessen some long term drought concerns. /DC/ && .AVIATION... (18Z TAFS) Issued at 1256 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026 VFR conditions will prevail until after 08Z when MVFR/IFR CIGs likely develop across southern sites, persisting until after 14Z. Winds will generally be out of the south 5-10 kts with gusts 15-20 kts possible after 16Z Monday. Intermittent TSRA/SHRA will be possible at HEZ and from 22z through 01Z. /86/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Jackson 70 88 72 88 / 10 10 0 50 Meridian 65 88 69 89 / 0 20 0 10 Vicksburg 71 89 72 89 / 10 20 10 30 Hattiesburg 67 88 70 89 / 0 30 0 20 Natchez 73 89 73 90 / 10 20 10 40 Greenville 72 90 73 91 / 20 10 20 30 Greenwood 72 89 73 90 / 10 10 10 30 && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...None. LA...None. AR...None. && DC/LP
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Jackson MS
500 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026
MSZ056-172300-
Smith MS-
500 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NORTHERN SMITH COUNTY THROUGH 600
PM CDT...
At 459 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a cluster of strong
thunderstorms near Raleigh, moving northeast at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
This strong thunderstorm will be near...
Raleigh and Burns around 505 PM CDT.
Pineville around 515 PM CDT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3190 8965 3201 8965 3205 8966 3205 8970
3222 8959 3222 8933 3198 8932
TIME...MOT...LOC 2159Z 219DEG 18KT 3203 8958
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
SASSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Jackson MS
546 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026
MSZ048-049-054-055-172345-
Copiah MS-Hinds MS-Rankin MS-Simpson MS-
546 PM CDT Sun May 17 2026
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTHWESTERN RANKIN...
NORTHWESTERN SIMPSON...SOUTHEASTERN HINDS AND NORTHEASTERN COPIAH
COUNTIES THROUGH 645 PM CDT...
At 546 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a cluster of strong
thunderstorms near Crystal Springs, moving northeast at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
This strong thunderstorm will be near...
Terry and Dry Grove around 550 PM CDT.
Jackson around 555 PM CDT.
Byram around 600 PM CDT.
Whites around 605 PM CDT.
Richland around 620 PM CDT.
Florence around 625 PM CDT.
Monterey around 640 PM CDT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3199 9058 3226 9045 3225 9019 3217 8999
3203 9014 3190 9032
TIME...MOT...LOC 2246Z 217DEG 17KT 3203 9039
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
SASThe Jackson/Brandon,MS radar (KDGX), 41 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:02 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees and powerlines were blown down in 5 or 6 locations near Midway Road between Tank Road and Owens Road.
A 64 mph wind gust was measured with a handheld anemometer along West Flowers Road.
Quarter size hail was reported along West Flowers Road.
A few trees and powerlines were blown down along Springridge Road between Raymond Road and the southern city limits for Clinton.
A tree was blown down along Belknap Road.
Quarter size hail was reported along Lakewood Drive.
Multiple tree limbs were blown down across Mitchell Road.
An ASOS site at Hawkins Field recorded a wind gust of 56 mph.
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, May 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: 1338549, 1338553, 1338556, 1338567, 1338545, 1338564, 1338547, 1338561.