Lawrence County schools will dismiss at noon or shortly thereafter, due to the threat of severe weather this afternoon.

An enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms is expected for the majority of Southwest Mississippi and the surrounding areas this afternoon, primarily from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Jackson.

Damaging winds up to 70 mph and hail up to golf ball size are likely, NWS said.

Lawrence County School District will dismiss kindergarten through eighth-grade students at noon and high school students at 12:15. Employees will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m. On-campus classes will resume Thursday, following Wednesday’s Virtual Learning Day.

As of 11:30 a.m., Brookhaven Academy, Brookhaven School District and Lincoln County School District had no plans to dismiss early, but were keeping watch on weather conditions. Each district will publish notices and contact parents through regular channels, should the situation change.