Aug 2nd Widespread Significant Wind Event

A rare and widespread significant wind event impacted the NWS Jackson, MS forecast area during the evening of Aug 2nd and lasted into the early morning hours of Aug 3rd. Several clusters of storms developed across Northern Mississippi and Northern Alabama during the late afternoon and became further organized as the clusters evolved to the south and southwest. Between 8 and 9 pm, a bowing line of storms was located from Oxford to Starkville, growing larger by the minute, and picking up speed as wind gusts between 50 and 70 mph were taking shape.

The large bow echo quickly evolved and raced to the west-southwest across Mississippi through the evening at 50 to 60 mph. The line of storms produced widespread severe winds around 60 mph with many locations seeing significant winds between 75 and 80 mph. Tree and power line damage was widespread and significant along the line with the focus and most intense portion of the bow echo located within an axis from Louisville, MS to Jackson, MS to St. Joseph, LA.

Some of the most significant wind damage occurred across Winston, Neshoba, Leake and Scott counties. Here, thousands of trees were downed along with numerous power lines. Many roads were blocked by downed trees, especially across Scott County. Wind gusts across these areas likely peaked between 75 and 85 mph.

The bow echo was re-energized across Madison and Hinds Counties as the line clashed with pre-line storms. The most intense portion of the bow echo was re-focused as it impacted portions of southern Madison and Hinds County. The most intense portion of the line then dove southwest and impacted Copiah, Claiborne, Jefferson, Franklin and Adams Counties. As the line crossed the Mississippi River, the parishes of Tensas and Concordia saw the brunt of the damaging winds. Like areas across Central Mississippi, these locations received significant winds between 75 and 85 mph. Thousands of trees and numerous power lines were downed from the winds. Power outages were substantial as many locations were without power for 2 to 4 days.

Looking at this event in a historic perspective, it was likely the most significant and widespread wind event ever in August for our forecast area!

Below are just a few select radar snap shots from a few of the hardest hit areas.

Radar Images

Winston County:Base Velocity of 70kts at 4000 ft off KGWX radar. Widespread wind damage in the form of downed trees and power lines across the entire eastern section of the county.

Leake County: Base Velocity between 70-80kts at 2500-3000ft. Widespread tree and power line damage with many trees across area roads. Surface wind gusts were likely as high as 80 mph!

Copiah County: A large area of Base Velocity in N Copiah County of 80-88kts at 2000 ft. This resulted in widespread tree and power line damage across the western half of the county. Surface wind gusts likely peaked around 85 mph!

Damage Reports