BROOKHAVEN — Dark clouds brood over downtown Brookhaven Monday morning. Lincoln, Franklin, Lawrence and Copiah Counties are at risk of possible severe storms Tuesday afternoon according to the National Weather Service but there is no chance of rain today.

Winds will pick up tonight with sustained speeds between 10 to 20 mph out of the south. The low tonight will be 67 before climbing to 85 Tuesday. Scattered showers and thunderstorms could come after 1 p.m. with a 40 percent chance of rain for Lincoln County. Storms could move through the area between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

NWS warns isolated severe storms are possible for the area with damaging wind gusts and hail up to a quarter in size. Southwest Mississippi is shown to be at a marginal risk of severe weather Tuesday. The rest of the week is forecast to be sunny.

Residents should keep an eye on standing dead pine trees as they could start to fall during storms especially if they are out in the woods. Dead pine trees have likely cast all of their needles by now and can be identified by their peeling bark. Mississippi Forestry Commission reported an estimate of 12.5 million pine trees were killed by pine beetles and the drought this past fall.

We will provide updates on the weather, power outages and any potential grass fires sparked by downed power lines if a storm does move through. Remember to stay weather aware.