Vicksburg and Warren County face the potential of more severe weather late Wednesday night into Thursday. The storm will potentially include heavy rain, hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.

“As we saw [Monday] evening, these storms can pop-up unexpectedly, and cause considerable damage in a short period of time,” Warren County emergency management director John Elfer said. “We encourage everyone to have adequate shelter and ensure that your alert systems are in place and working.”

According to Elfer, Thursday’s storm carries a greater risk of tornadoes than the one that hit Monday. That storm featured straight-line winds with gusts estimated to be in excess of 60 mph.

“People need to realize that Mississippi has more tornadoes than any other place in the world and this is the most active time of the year, “ Elfer said. “They can pop-up quickly and are difficult to forecast. People need to prepare for up to 72 hours without power.”

With the heightened risks of heavy rain and tornadoes, you can sign up for Code Red weather alerts by going to Vicksburg.org and clicking on the Code Red icon on the front page.

Residents who live in the county, should go to co.warren.ms.us.