Gulf disturbance drops rain across MS Coast. See latest totals & predictions

Thick tropical rains beating through the Gulf drenched South Mississippi on Wednesday with lightning and storm clouds that swamped low-lying roads, sent cars splashing through puddles and dumped downpours that are expected to keep falling until Saturday across the soggy coastline.

The National Weather Service said two to four inches of rain had already fallen across coastal Mississippi, mostly in Hancock and Harrison counties.

But Thursday morning was a dry pause. Mike Efferson, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Slidell, said the soaking could start again Thursday night and drop another 1 to 2 inches by Friday morning.

That amount, he said, “is not a lot of rainfall. But if you’ve already had four inches, you could have some minor flash flooding.”

The tropical disturbance unleashing the rain was just south of the Mississippi Coast on Thursday morning. Forecasters expect it will reach Louisiana by the end of the day.

The National Hurricane Center also lowered the system’s odds of strengthening. Forecasters now say there is only a 30 percent chance the disturbance will become a tropical depression.

Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Pearl River counties are still under a flood watch until Friday night. Forecasters said there was a slight risk of flash flooding, especially in concrete-filled cities where rain struggles to drain.

Some spots along the Mississippi Coast could still get up to 6 inches of rain in a worst-case scenario, according to the National Weather Service.

But on Thursday morning, the sky was muggy and quiet. James Spann, an Alabama meteorologist, said on social media that a few spotty showers were wandering along the Gulf Coast, east of the disturbance’s center.

“Nothing heavy,” he said. “Nothing widespread.”

This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 9:00 AM.