Thunderstorm Wind — Jackson, Mississippi

2024-06-04 · near Ocean Spgs, Jackson, Mississippi

Event narrative

MDOT District 6 Engineer reported high winds damaged the devices that operate the arms that raise and lower when the Fort Bayou Drawbridge opens. Event time estimated by radar.

Wider weather episode

The start of what would eventually be a very potent Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) began around midnight on June 4th in central Oklahoma. A cluster of thunderstorms became outflow dominant with the convection chasing the outflow boundary southeastward. The MCS had weakened quite a bit as it moved into northwest Louisiana. However, strong daytime heating and pooling moisture ahead of this was waiting for it in southern Mississippi. Those warm temps and high dewpoints increased surface and mid level instability that would support very strong updrafts. Although shear was relatively low, it was sufficient to support severe weather. About the time the MCS reached the Mississippi River, it began to rapidly intensify into a well organized system. As it moved through the area, it produced wide spread wind damage and four tornadoes. No injuries or fatalities reported with these tornadoes.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (30.4200, -88.8300)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1193346. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.