Mississippi

Where are tornado sirens in Hinds County MS? What residents should know

Published

3 weeks ago

March 12, 2026

Where are tornado sirens in Hinds County MS? What residents should know

For many Mississippi residents, the first sign of a tornado warning today comes from a smartphone. Wireless emergency alerts, weather apps and social media often notify people about dangerous storms before an outdoor siren ever sounds.

But tornado sirens remain an important warning system in Hinds County — particularly for residents who may not have reliable internet access or smartphones.

A public records request obtained by the Clarion Ledger shows dozens of outdoor warning sirens placed in Hinds County, including locations throughout Jackson and in smaller communities in the county.

County officials say the sirens still serve an important role in making sure residents hear warnings when severe weather approaches.

Technology has changed dramatically since the March 3, 1966, Candlestick Park tornado, one of the deadliest storms in Mississippi history. The storm tore through South Jackson and other parts of central Mississippi, killing 57 people statewide, including 12 at the Candlestick Park shopping center. More recently, a powerful tornado struck the Mississippi Delta town of Rolling Fork in March 2023, killing 17 people and destroying much of the community.

While warning technology has advanced, emergency officials said systems such as outdoor sirens remain an important part of the region’s severe weather preparedness.

Where are the tornado sirens in Hinds County?

Records provided by Hinds County show a total of 74 outdoor warning sirens located throughout the county at parks, intersections, schools and other public areas.

The placements are intended to cover both populated neighborhoods and rural areas where residents may have fewer ways to receive weather alerts.

Why tornado sirens are still needed in Hinds County

Even as phone alerts become more common, county leaders said sirens remain important for residents who may not have reliable internet service or smartphones.

Hinds County Supervisor Robert Graham, who represents District 1, said the county plans to install two additional tornado sirens, though supply chain issues have delayed their arrival.

“We still are planning on doing it,” Graham said. “They’re still on order, and we’re just waiting for them to come in.”

County leaders had hoped to install the sirens before the start of tornado season, but Graham said delivery timelines remain uncertain.

“It’s all dependent upon the supply chain,” he said.

Graham said the county has made progress expanding internet access in recent years, particularly in northern Hinds County. But even with improved connectivity, he believes outdoor sirens remain an important backup warning system.

“A lot of elderly people, a lot of people in the city and outside the city still depend upon that air raid siren,” Graham said.

He said the continued demand becomes clear during the county’s monthly siren tests.

“When they do not go off, my phone will light up like a Christmas tree,” Graham said.

Sirens can also provide warnings when people may not have access to phones or electricity, he said.

“You may or may not have your phone with you,” Graham said. “And if the power is out, you may not be able to charge your phone.”

When is tornado season in Mississippi?

Unlike parts of the Midwest, Mississippi does not have a single, defined tornado season.

“Our main time is March, April and May,” said Michael Hill, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson. “But I like to tell people we have year-round tornadoes.”

Hill said another active period often occurs in the fall and winter months when weather fronts moving across the region combine with warm, moisture-rich air from the Gulf of Mexico. Because Mississippi sits closer to that moisture source than states farther north, the ingredients for severe storms can come together more frequently.

What to do if you hear a tornado siren

Emergency officials say hearing a tornado siren means residents should seek shelter immediately.

“If you hear a tornado siren, you should just take cover,” Hill said.

The safest place during a tornado warning is an interior room on the lowest floor of a building, away from windows and exterior walls.

“If you’re in your house, go to your lowest floor, interior room, bathroom, put as many walls as you can between you and the outside and hunker down safely,” Hill said.

Hill also recommends protecting your head from flying debris, which causes many tornado injuries.

“We like to tell people to wear helmets to protect their heads because a lot of the problems with tornadoes is debris flying,” he said.

Charlie Drape is the Jackson beat reporter. Contact him at cdrape@gannett.com.

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Mississippi

Lawmakers look to “Strengthen Mississippi Homes” with new mitigation program

Published

6 hours ago

April 2, 2026

Press Room

Lawmakers look to “Strengthen Mississippi Homes” with new mitigation program

(Photo from Shutterstock)

Mitigation grants could soon be available for Mississippi homeowners looking to fortify their roofs. The grants are not to exceed $10,000 and awards will be made through a lottery.

The Legislature has sent a bill to the governor that establishes the “Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program” to aid homeowners across the state in retrofitting insurable property to resist loss due to hurricane, tornado, hail, or other catastrophic windstorm events.

Both the state Senate and House unanimously passed the conference report creating the mitigation program on Wednesday.

The program outlined in SB 2409 will be administered by the Mississippi Insurance Department. It will provide grants to retrofit dwellings to resist loss from windstorms. The retrofits must meet or exceed the FORTIFIED roof standard of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).

While the program is being established for homeowners in all areas of the state, the Coast delegation was a driving force behind the measure authored by State Senator Walter Michel (R), chairman of the Senate Insurance Committee.

Jackson County State Senator Jeremy England (R) celebrated the legislation late Tuesday after it cleared his chamber, saying the goal of the bill is to lower insurance costs not only on the Coast, but for all of Mississippi.

“Today, we sent a bill to the Governor setting up a program that will allow incentives to homeowners to fortify to new requirements to ‘mitigate’ damage from wind storms (like stronger roofing and water protection),” England shared on social media. “Once enough homes on our coast and in our state take advantage of this program, we will see insurance rates start to drop.”

England added that the program is one “we all should be very proud of, and that we all should take advantage of.”

State Senator Scott DeLano (R) played a key role in getting the program through the Legislature. His Coast colleague England said DeLano “led the way” as he planned meetings with engineers and specialists in preparation for the legislation and setting up the grant program.

Eligible dwellings to be considered for a retrofit grant from the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program must be a single-family residence, not a condominium or manufactured home. The dwelling must be the applicant’s primary residence and it must be insured for windstorm loss, and if necessary, flood loss. In addition, the dwelling must be in “good repair” and has not previously been retrofitted to meet the IBHS FORTIFIED roof standard. An inspection will be performed to verify the application and condition of the dwelling.

Grants are not to exceed $10,000 per recipient and awards will be made “through a lottery or other allocation mechanism established by the Mississippi Department of Insurance for eligibility requirements by source of funds and subject to the availability of funds.”

The state Insurance Department is allowed to contract out the implementation and management of the program at a cost of no more than 5% of annual deposits into the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program Fund. An annual report on the program is to be submitted by the department to the governor and the Legislature each December 1.

Lawmakers also established an advisory council to meet three times a year “for the purpose of advising the Mississippi Department of Insurance in performance, efficiency, and operations of the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program.” The advisory council will consist of three state senators, three members of the state House of Representatives, and the Executive Director of the Mississippi Windstorm Underwriters Association.

“Lower insurance rates for homeowners are right around the corner,” Senator England said. “This is going to be one of the unheralded wins of the 2026 legislative session.”

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Mississippi

No. 13 LSU Set for Final Home Slate Against Alabama, Mississippi State

Published

18 hours ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

No. 13 LSU Set for Final Home Slate Against Alabama, Mississippi State

BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 10 LSU women’s tennis team hosts its final regular-season home matches this week, opening against Alabama on Thursday, Apr. 2, at 5:00 p.m. CT, before closing with a Senior Day matchup against Mississippi State on Saturday, Apr. 4, at 11:00 a.m. CT.

According to the latest official ITA rankings (Mar. 31), LSU ranks No. 13 in the dual season team rankings.

Last time out, the Tigers suffered two setbacks at home against No. 7 Texas, 4-2, and No. 3 Texas A&M, 4-1. Freshman Addison Lanton led the way, going a combined 3-1 in singles and doubles over the weekend.

Attendance at all LSU matches at the LSU Tennis Complex is free. Attendees will be required to comply with the university’s clear-bag policy.

LSU holds a 12-7 record on the season and has clinched the doubles point in 11 of its matches. The Tigers own a 49-29 singles mark and a 28-19 doubles record.

The Tigers feature three ranked singles players in No. 34 Cadence Brace, No. 64 Kayla Cross, and No. 122 Addison Lanton in the latest ITA rankings. Furthermore, LSU has three ranked doubles pairings: No. 11 Cross and Ella McDonald, No. 51 Kenna Erickson and McDonald, and No. 82 Brace and Cross.

Cross holds a 3-1 singles mark on the season. The sophomore holds two ranked victories on the campaign, highlighted by taking down Auburn’s then-No. 50 Ekaterina Khairutdinova, 6-4, 0-6, 6-0.

Brace holds a 5-3 mark on the top spot, behind three ranked victories, highlighted by taking down Vanderbilt’s No. 33 Bridget Stammel, 6-3, 6-1.

McDonald checks in with a 5-3 singles mark. She posted a ranked victory to clinch the match win against Florida’s No. 26 Gabia Paskauskas, 6-2, 6-3.

Against NC State, McDonald and Cross struck up a partnership to take down NC State’s then-No. 2 Broadfoot/Victoria Osuigwe, 7-6(6). Since then, the duo has a 3-1 record this season, all against ranked opponents.

Beyond teaming with Cross, McDonald has earned five doubles wins on the season with Erickson. Likewise, Erickson has collected four singles victories, riding a two-match winning streak, on the third and fifth courts this season.

Lanton continues her strong freshman campaign with a team-leading 13-2 mark behind victories on the first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth courts. Lanton is also currently riding a four-match winning streak in singles. In doubles play, the freshman has earned eight total victories with four different partners.

Following ITA Kickoff Weekend, on Jan. 28, Carolina Kuhl was named the SEC Freshman of the Week. Kuhl has registered a 10-7 record in singles play.

Alabama holds a 12-7 overall record with four wins in SEC play. The Crimson Tide is represented in the ITA singles rankings by No. 71 Kristina Paskauskas, No. 73 Klara Milicevic, and No. 118 Karla Bartel. Head coach Jonatan Berhane is in his third season at the helm of the program. LSU holds a 36-17 all-time record against Alabama and is riding a two-match winning streak.

Mississippi State is 15-8 on the season with three victories in conference play. The Bulldogs hold three ranked pairings in No. 20 Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz and Chiara Di Genova, No. 32 Kempenaers-Pocz and Gianna Oboniye, and No. 52 Oboniye and Athina Pitta. Chris Hooshyar is in his third season as the program’s head coach. LSU is 36-13 in all-time matchups against the Bulldogs and rides a five-match winning streak dating back to 2021.

For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.

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Mississippi

How MHSAA softball teams have found success in new classifications during 2026

Published

1 day ago

April 1, 2026

Press Room

How MHSAA softball teams have found success in new classifications during 2026

The MHSAA announced its new reclassifications in the fall of 2024, which saw schools shift in classes based on student population for the 2025-27 school years.

As Mississippi high school softball teams begin their first season in the new classes, several teams have outperformed with the change.

The Clarion Ledger reviewed six teams that have not let a new scenery change the outcome of their season.

Caledonia

Record: 14-2, Old Class: 4A, New Class: 5A

Until a March loss to New Hope, Caledonia had not dropped a game to an in-state team. The Cavaliers have been dominant in the circle, allowing only nine earned runs all year and posting a 1.07 team ERA; the most runs they’ve given up in a game this year is seven.

Myrtle

Record: 14-6, Old Class: 1A, New Class: 2A

Myrtle would like the chance to avenge its 1A title-game loss to Stringer in 2025, and will have to do so in 2A. The Hawks have put up 154 runs as a team, with help from Ally Murphy and Mary Ella Mayer. Myrtle has taken down two 7A teams in Oxford and West Harrison this year while aiming for its third straight 20-win season.

Northeast Jones

Record: 19-4, Old Class: 4A, New Class: 5A

The Lady Tigers have settled well in their new classification. Northeast Jones looks for its first 20-win season in decades, while being led by senior Caroline Myrick at the plate and in the circle. Northeast Jones has had nine games in which it has scored 10 or more runs and has not allowed more than nine runs in a game.

Pisgah

Record: 10-6, Old Class: 2A, New Class: 3A

Pisgah has appeared in the 2A title game in consecutive years, falling to East Union both times. Now out of 2A and into 3A, the Lady Dragons aim for a third trip to a championship game. Sophomore Alyssa McMurtrey and senior Hallie McCurdy have led Pisgah at the plate with a team batting average of .334 and 90 RBIs.

Purvis

Record: 10-4, Old Class: 4A, New Class: 5A

In the 2025 season, Purvis fell in the 4A title game to Itawamba Agricultural. Now the Tornadoes have a new chance and a new look at a championship in 5A. Senior Brooxie Shepherd has a .600 batting average, leading Purvis, and hopes to lead the Tornadoes to a third straight 20-win season.

Sumrall

Record: 17-3, Old Class: 4A, New Class: 5A

After moving up to 5A, Sumrall has taken charge as one of the best teams in the class. The Lady Bobcats are led by senior Ella Robertson and junior Kynnedy Lumpkins, who are hitting above .500 with a combined 16 home runs. Sumrall’s only losses have come from 7A teams, and is outscoring opponents 257-75 this season.

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

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