In the past 24 hours, Lincoln County has seen sun, flooding rains, hail, damaging winds and even snow.

The old adage “If you don’t like the weather in Mississippi, just wait five minutes” couldn’t be more fitting.

Strong storms pushed through the area Thursday evening, prompting tornado and flash flood warnings. High winds damaged barns and sheds and downed trees.  There were no reports of injuries.

As the severe weather moved out, a blast of cold air moved in. Snow flurries were falling this morning in Brookhaven.

The crazy weather underscores the need for residents to make sure they can get weather alerts.  Being weather aware can save lives.

A NOAA weather radio will sound an alert when a warning is issued for an area. During an emergency, the National Weather Service will interrupt routine weather radio programming and broadcast a special tone that activates weather radios in county where severe weather is expected or is happening. The radios cost about $30.

Smartphones can also alert you to severe weather. Wireless Emergency Alerts are emergency messages sent by authorized government agencies alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. Government partners include local and state public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Weather Service. New smartphones are equipped to receive the alerts, but some older cellphones are not.

Residents can also monitor weather conditions on TV, radio or the newspaper’s website. If you live in Brookhaven, storm sirens should also alert you to severe weather.

Knowing when severe weather will strike is key to saving lives. We encourage everyone to invest in a weather radio and pay attention when severe weather hits the area.