The weather forecast for Easter has improved as most of the severe weather threat for Mississippi has shifted west of the Mississippi River, but next week is looking warm, wet and stormy.
"There's not much support for severe weather, but there could be isolated strong to severe storms, but not anything really organized," said Eric Carpenter, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. "It's a lingering, weak front with warmth and moisture."
Carpenter said the system is expected to move in Sunday night and the NWS forecast shows it sticking around until at least Thursday, April 24 with the greater impacts being in Central, West and Northwest Mississippi. Carpenter said Northwest Mississippi could see up to 2 inches of rain next week with an inch or less in other portions of the state. In Southeast Mississippi, rainfall totals are expected to be 1/2-inch or less.
"The biggest impact will be you get rained on when you don't want to get rained on," Carpenter said.
However, Carpenter said other threats are possible.
"There will be lightning, some gusty winds, locally heavy downpours and maybe some small hail," Carpenter said. "That's what we'll see with the strongest storms, should they develop."
While Easter appears relatively calm this year, it's not always that way in Mississippi. In 2020, an outbreak of tornadoes brought destruction and killed 11 on Easter. In 1979, the Pearl River crested at an historic 43.28 feet an inundated much of Jackson.
National Weather Service forecast in, near Jackson
- Friday: Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Friday night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 67. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. South wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Sunday night: A 30% chance of showers after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Monday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 83. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.
- Monday night: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Tuesday: A 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph.
- Tuesday night: A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- Wednesday: A 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83.
- Wednesday night: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- Thursday: A 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
National Weather Service forecast in, near Hattiesburg
- Today: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 86. Light southeast wind becoming south 10 to 15 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.
- Friday night: Increasing clouds, with a low around 66. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Saturday: Patchy fog before 9 a.m. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 86. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Sunday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. South southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Sunday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 67. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Monday: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Light south southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
- Monday night: A 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
- Tuesday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
- Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- Wednesday: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
- Wednesday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65.
- Thursday: A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
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