Blog Article
May 06, 2026 Severe Weather Recap: MS Tornadoes & CO Snow
A complete recap of the May 06, 2026 weather events, including confirmed PDS tornadoes in Mississippi and over 33 inches of snow in the Colorado Rockies.
A Day of Extremes Across the Country
Y'all, yesterday was one of those days where the atmosphere did exactly what it said it was going to do. We had a massive contrast in impacts, from a high-end tornadic outbreak in the Deep South to a crippling late-season winter storm in the Rockies.
The most critical moments of the day unfolded in southwestern Mississippi. By late evening, the National Weather Service was issuing Particularly Dangerous Situation, or PDS, Tornado Warnings near Garden City and Meadville. We saw multiple confirmed tornadoes on the board. The 88D radar network picked up clear Tornado Debris Signatures near Bunkley, Harmony, West Lincoln, and Enterprise. Emergency managers and storm chasers reported trees down and power flashes near Dixie and Prentiss.
Before the tornadoes spun up, these discrete cells were dropping massive ice. We had confirmed reports of 2.75-inch hail, which is about the size of a baseball, across parts of Texas and Mississippi. On top of that, heavy rain trained over the same areas. The storms dropped an estimated 3 to 5 inches of water in south-central Mississippi and caused widespread flash flooding.
The Colorado Snowstorm
While the South was dealing with severe thunderstorms, the Colorado Front Range and Central Rockies were in the middle of a major winter event.
In yesterday's forecast, we talked about folks digging out from over 33 inches of late-season snow. That verified perfectly. The Bear Lake SNOTEL site officially recorded 33.8 inches of accumulation. The heavy, wet snow took a major toll on local infrastructure. We saw over 48,000 power outages and confirmed power line fires across the Front Range.
Here is a quick look at the key stats from May 06:
- Confirmed PDS tornadoes in southwestern Mississippi.
- Multiple radar-confirmed Tornado Debris Signatures in the Jackson warning area.
- 33.8 inches of snow recorded at Bear Lake, Colorado.
- Over 48,000 power outages in the Colorado Front Range.
- 2.75-inch hail reported in Texas and Mississippi.
- 3 to 5 inches of rain causing flash flooding in the Deep South.
- A magnitude 5.8 earthquake recorded in Alaska.
What the Forecast Got Right
The models had a solid handle on this setup. We knew the Colorado snow was going to be historic for May, and the totals lined up exactly with expectations. We also knew the severe threat was going to escalate in the South. The transition from discrete hail-producing cells to a tornadic outbreak and flash flood event happened right on schedule.
Shifting the Focus to Today
The storm system that caused yesterday's issues in the South is still moving. Today, the severe weather threat shifts east.
The Storm Prediction Center has a Level 2 out of 5 Slight Risk for severe storms covering southeast Alabama, south Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle. The main hazard today is going to be damaging wind gusts over 60 mph, but a few isolated tornadoes are absolutely possible.
By tomorrow, a new upper-level trough will dig into the Central Plains. That brings a Level 1 out of 5 Marginal Risk for severe storms from central Oklahoma up into Missouri. Isolated large hail and damaging winds will be the primary concerns there.
Bottom Line
Yesterday showed us how dynamic the atmosphere can be in May. We had a destructive winter storm and a PDS tornado outbreak happening on the exact same day. The warning lead times in Mississippi were critical, and seeing those radar-confirmed debris signatures is a stark reminder to always take these alerts seriously. Have a way to get warnings today if you live in the Southeast, and know your safe place before the storms arrive.