For the second time in as many weeks, North and Central Mississippi will be under the gun with the potential for severe weather Friday night and rain through most of Saturday.

“We’re watching a cold front that’s going to be moving in tonight (Friday) and through the day tomorrow, but the storms are really going to be tonight,” said meteorologist Daniel Lamb with the National Weather Service Jackson Office.

He said the area will see rain Friday ahead of the thunderstorms, which are expected to start late Friday afternoon and continue into the night “generally progressing from west to east overnight. The greatest potential — the highest likelihood — for severe weather is generally the farther north you go in the state of Mississippi and into Arkansas.”
Lamb said the potential for damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph, golf ball-size hail and tornadoes is present along a line from Greenwood to Greenville to Columbus and north.

Farther south, he said, the storms will be fewer and far between “but where we get them there could be a severe thunderstorm, even closer south, getting closer to the Yazoo City area and down to Vicksburg. The same severe threats are still in place —the high wind gusts, the hail and tornadoes as well; it’s just the likelihood’s a little bit lower the farther south you go.”

Lamb said the area will get a short break in the rain Saturday into the early morning hours Sunday when the chance of rain returns with the possibility of thunderstorms Sunday evening and into the night.

“Right now, we’re not expecting any of that to be severe,” he said.

He said forecasters are watching another system that could bring some severe weather Tuesday night and Wednesday, adding the greatest threat would be north of the area.

“But that one’s still several days away so a lot can change with that,” he said.