Severe weather, flash flood watches possible Tuesday in South Mississippi

A "vigorous" storm system heading toward the Southeast already has prompted the National Weather Service to issue flash flood watches in 77 Mississippi counties beginning Tuesday.

The forecast predicts an enhanced risk of severe storms for much of Louisiana and Mississippi, but only a slight risk for the Mississippi Coast.

Severe weather threats include damaging winds, tornadoes and heavy rainfall.

The weather service expects total rainfall to be between 2 and 4 inches, but warns that instantaneous and one-hour rainfall rates could be "very high."

A flash flood watch has not yet been issued for coastal Mississippi, but the weather service expects the squall line to move into the area later than the rest of the region and watches may be issued then.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency warns residents that high winds could bring downed trees and power lines.

"Mississippi is no stranger to severe weather in November," said MEMA Executive Director Robert Latham. "The most important thing you can do is know how you will receive an alert of severe weather in your area, and how you will respond to it. If you encounter a flooded roadway, remember 'Turn Around, Don't Drown.'"

For the coastal counties, Tuesday starts with a 50 percent chance of rain, rising to 90 percent at night, then 100 percent early Wednesday.

The storm system is expected to leave South Mississippi by late Wednesday, with temperatures dropping into the 50s.

Nightly lows Thursday through Saturday are again expected to dip into the 40s with highs in the 60s.

MEMA also encourages residents to make sure they can be alerted to severe weather warnings in the following ways:

-- Weather radios

-- Emergency alert messages on cellphones. Make sure these notifications are turned on in your phone settings.

-- Smartphone apps

-- Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter

-- Local radio and TV stations

-- Community tornado sirens

This story was originally published November 16, 2015 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Severe weather, flash flood watches possible Tuesday in South Mississippi ."