Severe storms are headed for Mississippi Saturday, with forecasts estimating a high likelihood of tornadoes, hail and damaging winds across most of the Magnolia State tomorrow, lasting into the night. Emergency management services are warning Mississippians to expect power outages as storms batter the state.

The Weather Channel predicts that the greatest threat of strong tornadoes faces central Mississippi, including Jackson and the surrounding area, passing east through the state and toward the eastern seaboard into Sunday.

Presently, the precise timing for when the most severe weather is expected is not available. A National Weather Service update from this afternoon explained that the breadth of the severe weather made such a prediction difficult. “This event will likely (include) multiple rounds of severe weather … will likely have a larger window to see severe weather, and will have a longer duration,” NWS explained. 

Malary White, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency chief communications officer, provided the Mississippi Free Press with a statement from the agency.

“(MEMA) is on standby and ready to respond with local emergency managers if the need arises. In the meantime, we urge all residents to stay weather aware Saturday. Have multiple ways to receive weather alerts by downloading the free MEMA App and prepare your home and family for potential power outages.”

December, though not traditionally considered a part of tornado season, has generated severe tornado outbreaks in the past. In 2021, an outbreak of 71 tornadoes centered just north of Mississippi killed 89 people and injured hundreds more.

Mississippi will likely see multiple rounds of severe weather tomorrow (12/28/2024). Now is the time to prepare!
🌪️Tornadoes are likely and some could be strong tornadoes
🌬️Damaging winds up to 70 mph
⛈️Golf ball-size hail
❗Stay Weather Aware
📻Have multiple ways to receive… pic.twitter.com/m7UMElzwXb

— msema (@MSEMA) December 27, 2024

The following is a list of tips MEMA provides for staying safe amid tornadoes:

What to Do if You Are in Your Home During a Tornado

• Go to the lowest level of the home, an inner hallway, or smaller inner room without windows, such as a closet or bathroom.
• Get away from windows and go to the center of the room. Avoid corners, because they tend to attract debris.
• Get under a sturdy piece of furniture, such as a workbench or heavy table.

If You Are in a Mobile Home

• Evacuate the mobile home, even if it is equipped with tie-downs. Take shelter in a building with a strong foundation, or if one is not available, lie in a ditch or low-lying area a safe distance away from the mobile home. Tornadoes cannot change elevation quickly enough to pick someone up out of a ditch, especially a deep ditch or culvert.

If You Are at Work or School

• Go to the basement or to an inside hallway at the lowest level of the building.
• Avoid places with wide-span roofs, such as auditoriums, cafeterias, large hallways or shopping malls.
• Use your arms to protect your head and neck.

If Outdoors

• If possible, get inside a sturdy building with a concrete foundation.
• If shelter is not available, or there is no time to get indoors, lie in a ditch or low-lying area or crouch near a strong building.
• Be aware of the potential for flooding.

If You Are in a Vehicle

• Never try to out drive a tornado in your vehicle. Tornadoes can change direction very quickly and can lift a vehicle and toss it in the air.
• Get out of the vehicle and take shelter in a nearby building.
• If there is no time to get indoors, get out of the vehicle and lie in a ditch or low-lying area away from the vehicle.

Related

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi Valley State University’s band is set to perform at the 60th Presidential Inauguration Parade.

President-elect Donald Trump invited Valley’s “Mean Green Marching Machine” to perform at the event in Washington, D.C. on January 20.

The band has played on several stages, including NBA games, the Rose Bowl Parade, New Orleans Mardi Gras parades, and the National Showband Battle of the Bands.

If you would like to donate to the university, click here.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2024 WLBT. All rights reserved.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Miss Mississippi Becky Williams and Miss Mississippi’s Teen Brooke Bumgarner will head to Orlando, Florida Friday for the Miss America competition.

The national competition begins December 31st and Bumgarner hopes to make history by becoming the first national winner for this state in the teen competition. Williams hopes she will be the candidate to win Miss America since the last state winner in 1986 when Susan Aikin won the Miss America Crown.

On New Year’s Eve, the Miss America contestants, including Miss Mississippi Becky Williams will arrive in Orlando. Miss America 2025 will be crowned January 5th. There have been four winners from this state including, Mary Ann Mobley, Lynda Lee Meade, Cheryl Prewitt, and Miss America 1986 Susan Aiken.

Williams said, “The Miss Mississippi Corporation has changed my life. My experience in competing just these three years has been life-changing. I’m not the same person I was when I started and to even have the opportunity to compete at Miss Mississippi is one thing. To win is another and on top of that, I get to represent my entire state. I get to represent the volunteers of Miss Mississippi. I get to represent the state of Mississippi.”

Williams has been preparing for the national competition since she was crowned in June. She has also kept busy promoting her Community Service Initiative Make a Move.

“Preparing for Miss America has been a little different than getting ready for Miss Mississippi because now I am Miss Mississippi and it’s a full-time job. I’m on the road, I’m all across the state throughout my entire year, so these past six months I’ve been every which way but still fitting in time in dance studios across the state. I’m so thankful to my dance families in Meridian, in Hattiesburg, and in Jackson for giving me the space to practice, so that’s been really helpful but you know when it comes to interview prep, when it comes to doing the job of Miss America, I’m getting ready every single day because that’s what I do right now as Miss Mississippi”, said Williams.

The first night of the preliminary competition for Miss America’s Teen is New Year’s Eve. Brooke Bumgarner of Madison has been preparing and is hoping to make history as the first winner for Mississippi.

Bumgarner said, “She will win a $50,000 dollar scholarship which is an incredible blessing and she also wins a year-long of experiences that not everybody gets to take on and that’s such a rare opportunity and it’s been such an honor to watch the new leadership at Miss America really take our program to the next level and allow Miss America’s Teen to go through so many incredible life-changing experiences.”

Preliminary competition for Miss America begins New Year’s Night. The teen winner will be crowned January 4th.

“Only 51 girls a year are going to be able to go to the national pageant and that’s, it’s incredible to think that I am one of those 51 and I have the opportunity to make friends with people from all across the nation”, said Bumgarner.

The New Miss America will be crowned Sunday, January 5th.

Williams said, “You know it’s so humbling to be able to say that I’m the face of Mississippi when it comes to this competition so I get the chance to show everyone what we have to offer.”

The new Miss America will be awarded 60 thousand dollars in scholarships. This will be the 103rd Anniversary for Miss America which is the world’s largest scholarship program for women.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2024 WLBT. All rights reserved.