Special Marine Warning Issued for Mississippi Sound and Chandeleur Sound Through Early Thursday

Alert Details

The National Weather Service in New Orleans has issued a Special Marine Warning for the Mississippi Sound, Chandeleur Sound, and coastal waters from Pascagoula, Mississippi, to Stake Island out 20 nautical miles. This alert was triggered by radar-indicated severe thunderstorms moving through the region.

Affected Areas

The warning covers the following geographic regions and coastal locations:

• Mississippi Sound
• Chandeleur Sound
• Coastal waters from Pascagoula to Stake Island
• Impacted land-adjacent areas include Pascagoula, Biloxi, Ocean Springs, Gulf Park Estates, Horn Island, and Ship Island.

What You Should Do

Boaters and anyone near the water should take immediate safety precautions:

• Ensure all persons on board are wearing life jackets.
• Seek shelter or move to a safe harbor immediately until the hazardous weather passes.
• If caught on open water, stay below deck if possible and keep away from ungrounded metal objects to avoid lightning strikes.
• Note that a Tornado Watch remains in effect for southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi until 2:00 AM CDT.

Expected Conditions

At 11:56 PM CDT, a line of severe thunderstorms was located extending from 13 nautical miles northwest of Grand Bay to 10 nautical miles west of Chandeleur Sound, moving east at 25 knots. Expected hazards include:

• Waterspouts: Capable of quickly forming and capsizing boats or damaging oil rigs.
• Wind: Gusts of 34 knots or greater.
• Waves: Suddenly higher waves caused by wind and storm activity.
• Lightning: Frequent lightning is occurring within these storm cells.

Timeline

The Special Marine Warning is effective immediately and is set to expire at 1:00 AM CDT on March 12, 2026.