Parts of southwest Mississippi saw historic rainfall on Halloween, so unusual that the National Weather Service says there was a 1-in-1,000 chance of it happening.
More than 19 inches of rain fell in a six-hour span Saturday near Crossroads in Pearl River County, according to NWS radar estimates. The rainfall far exceeded the threshold for what the agency classifies as a “1,000-year rainfall event.”
The NWS estimates that 12 inches of rain over six hours would qualify as a 1,000-year event in Pearl River County. Rainfall of that magnitude has a 0.1% chance of occurring in any given year at a particular location.
The extreme rainfall prompted the NWS to issue a Flash Flood Warning with a rare catastrophic tag, indicating an extremely dangerous situation with the potential for life-threatening flooding and devastating damage. The warning was sent directly to residents’ cellphones.
Several homes in the area sustained significant flood damage. One high-water rescue was conducted on Humphrey Road, about four miles northeast of Crossroads, while the West Hobolochitto Creek near McNeil rose approximately 12 feet overnight. Debris was also reported floating in floodwaters throughout the area.
Despite the dangerous conditions, no injuries or major traffic disruptions had been reported as of Monday morning.
However, many families are dealing with the aftermath. The United Cajun Navy has established a presence in Crossroads and is seeking donations and volunteers to help affected families pack and store belongings, move and store salvageable furniture, remove damaged furniture, and tear out damaged flooring in impacted homes.
The heavy rainfall was fueled by an active jet stream pattern interacting with unusually warm air and Gulf waters, creating conditions favorable for significant moisture and exceptionally high rainfall rates.