The authorities urged some residents of central Mississippi, including Jackson, to evacuate in advance of flooding that could peak on Monday and affect as many as 150 homes.
The Pearl River, which has been swollen by heavy rains that started on Aug. 22, is expected to crest at 35.5 feet on Monday morning, said Marty Pope, senior service hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Jackson.
That figure is six inches lower than initially forecast, which means some structures that otherwise might have flooded could be spared, he said. Subdivisions in northeast Jackson had water in the streets as of Sunday morning but the flooding had not yet reached any houses.
“As of now, we’ve just seen most of the water in the streets,” Mr. Pope said. “If we keep that by not going higher, hopefully it will keep it out of any big structures.”
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Jackson said late Sunday that isolated showers and storms would linger across the area through the evening and possibly return again on Monday, with temperatures expected to be around 90 degrees.
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The mayor of Jackson, Chokwe Antar Lumumba, told CNN on Sunday that he wanted residents to heed evacuation warnings. “We don’t want to risk the potential that it could happen and they be present within their homes,” he said. In Jackson, between 100 and 150 homes could be affected, said Melissa Payne, a spokeswoman for the mayor’s office.
Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi issued a state of emergency on Saturday in anticipation of the flooding. “I encourage individuals in the flood zones to be cautious, take appropriate precautions and evacuate if necessary,” Mr. Reeves said in a statement.
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency deployed 126,000 sandbags. It also advised residents to take photos of valuables, save copies of important documents, elevate and anchor utilities and wires, and clear debris.
Shelters were open at the Jackson Police Training Academy in Jackson and the Madison United Methodist Church in Madison.
“Search and rescue teams are on standby and are prepared to respond at the request of local emergency managers,” the emergency management agency said.
Flows over a dam at the Ross R. Barnett Reservoir, a 33,000-acre lake northeast of Jackson, were increased to reduce the chances that the reservoir would fail. The flows were then decreased on Saturday and expected to be held at those rates until Monday, according to the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District.
In the last few days, neighborhoods that were under flood warnings saw an influx of moving trucks and vans working to relocate residents’ valuables, said Joey Perkins, the emergency management director for Hinds County. The flooding is expected to recede in seven to 10 days, he said.
The warnings are reminiscent of flooding in the state in 2020 that affected about 150 homes, Mr. Perkins said. He said officials did not expect damage to surpass the 2020 levels.
Because this storm is during the summer, evaporation and the uptake of water by vegetation will likely help mitigate some of the flooding, Mr. Pope said. The 2020 storm happened during the winter.
More than 20 people have already contacted Shay Walker, a licensed mold inspector from New Orleans, about remediation work after the floodwaters recede.
She has worked in the aftermath of hurricanes in the South, removing black mold, which is dangerous to human health, and helping people navigate their insurance.
She said much of the damage she has seen has occurred when multiple natural disasters struck in a row, when necessary repairs were not addressed after one disaster and then became exacerbated by another.
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