National Weather Service meteorologist Marty Pope said this morning that officials cut back the discharge into the Pearl River from the Ross Barnett Reservoir by 10,000 cubic feet per second this morning.
He says this will allow the streets in north Jackson to begin draining this morning and that most areas will be drained by this morning.
There will still be water in the closest areas to the river and the playing fields on Westbrook Road, however.
As for the rest of the city, streets will begin to drain but need the river to drop below 33 feet to complete that process.
Monday morning, the Pearl River was measured at 35.35 feet, nearly a foot less than what had been anticipated just 48 hours ago.
Pope said he talked with officials with the Hinds County Emergency Management Agency and said that as far as they know, no homes have flooded.
“The water was just about to enter some homes, but the Pearl River Valley Water District allowing the reservoir to rise within a foot and a half of its max really helped to keep the water from rising higher,” Pope said.
Reservoir manager John Sigman said even with water receding, it could take 5 to 7 days for everything to get back to normal.
“The worst and the uncertainty is past,” Sigman said.
Some Jackson schools shift to virtual due to low water pressure, flooding.
Update 8:25 p.m.: Jackson Public Schools announced a schedule for schools this week going virtual due to low water pressure along with altered schedules for schools potentially affected by flooding.
Below is the press release issued by the schools Sunday:
August 28, 2022
Due to the ongoing low water pressure, Forest Hill High and Timberlawn Elementary schools will shift to virtual learning on Monday, August 29 and Tuesday, August 30. Staff members from those schools will be housed at other JPS sites. Meals will be available for pick up at Forest Hill High School for scholars who attend those schools. Breakfast is served from 8-9 a.m., and lunch will be available from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. We are working closely with the City of Jackson and will keep our school community updated with the latest information as we receive it.
As a reminder, due to the threat of flooding from the Pearl River outlined by public officials, scholars who attend McLeod Elementary School will shift to virtual learning on Monday, August 29, and Tuesday, August 30. To add clarity to our previous announcement, scholars who attend other JPS schools and live east of Old Canton Road between South Canton Club Drive and Ridgewood Road will have the option to attend school virtually or in-person. Transportation will be provided from Spann Elementary School, located at 1615 Brecon Drive, only to those flood-threatened scholars who attend the schools listed below with bus pickup and drop- off times. These scholars should report to Spann Elementary for transportation and not to their normal regular neighborhood bus stop.
| School | Bus Pickup Times | Bus Drop Off Times |
| Casey Elementary | 6:55 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 2:35 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. |
| McWillie Elementary | 6:45 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 2:35 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. |
| Obama Elementary | 6:45 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 2:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
| Wells APAC | 6:45 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 2:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
| Bailey/Northwest Middle | 6:30 a.m. – 6:45 a.m. | 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. |
| Chastain Middle | 7:15 a.m. – 7:25 a.m. | 3:40 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. |
| JTECH | 6:30 a.m. – 6:45 a.m. | 3:15 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. |
| Jim Hill High | 7:35 a.m. – 7:15 a.m. | 4:40 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. |
| Murrah High | 7:05 a.m. – 7:15 a.m. | 4:10 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. |
Meals for virtual McLeod Elementary scholars and those who live east of Old Canton Road between South Canton Club Drive and Ridgewood Road will be available at Spann Elementary, Chastain Middle, and Murrah High schools. Breakfast is served from 8-9 a.m., and lunch will be available from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
All JPS team members not impacted by the flood should report to work at their regular times. Any team member affected by the flood should alert their direct supervisor and take the necessary leave of absence.
We will continue to monitor the rainfall to determine if alternate plans are needed to address flooding in other parts of the city.
Update 2:30 p.m.: The City of Jackson announced more sandbags are available at for pick up Sunday at Christ United Methodist Church at 6000 Old Canton Road. Bags will be pre-filled. Distribution will continue until supplies run out. This distribution site is in addition to the one at 4225 Michael Avalon St., which will remain open Sunday until 6 p.m.
Update 10:30 a.m.: Marty Pope, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson confirmed that the agency’s prediction for the Pearl River crest is at 35.5 feet by Monday morning, well below the 36 or more that had been anticipated just 24 hours ago.
The current reading of the Pearl River is 35.12, but there is some expected creep up that would take it to 35.5.
“It could be less than 35.5,” Pope said. “But there are some other factors that we are looking at.”
The weather forecast for Sunday calls for scattered showers in the area.
“We think any showers we get today will be scattered in nature, but as long as it is not widespread or not several inches directly over the reservoir, it won’t give us any problem,” Pope said.
All of the streams above the reservoir are falling very rapidly, Pope said. That should make the reservoir drop, and when that does, the river south of the reservoir will begin to drop, maybe even more quickly than originally anticipated.
Pope also said that after talking with emergency management officials in Hinds County, there are some houses that have been impacted that have visible water marks. That could mean there is some cresting already happening.
“I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up too much at this point, but everything seems to be good news right now,” Pope said.
As for the rest of the week, the National Weather Service is keeping an eye on the tropics.
“We are going to have to keep an eye on things over the Labor Day weekend as tropical wave moves up through the Caribbean and toward the Gulf,” Pope said. “There is a lot of uncertainty about how that is going to play, because it is going to be several days or another week before there is a crest toward the lower end of the Pearl River.”
Reservoir has crested
The Ross Barnett Reservoir has crested and all indications are that the Pearl River will crest lower than previously predicted.
“It’s all good news,” reservoir general John Sigman said Sunday morning. “If you didn’t get water in your house yet, maybe you won’t.”
Sigman said the crest at the reservoir will hold at least 24 hours before beginning to fall.
“I have to get water out of the lake,” Sigman said. “We will hold the discharge, but we will not increase the discharge at this time.”
Sigman says he also expects the National Weather Service to adjust its estimate on the Pearl River to crest at 35.5 late tonight or tomorrow, instead of the 36 feet that had been predicted previously.
“It’s actually going to be better than that prediction,” Sigman said. “It doesn’t mean there isn’t a water pileup in the flood plain that’s still got to get here, however.
“So, residents shouldn’t assume that what they see right now is as high as it will get. It could creep up another inch or so.”
The reservoir water level currently stands at 298.5 feet above sea level, which is the highest it has been since 299.5 in 1979.
Sigman said the water level has held for several hours now, which has led to him to be able to say the lake has crested.
“We anticipate that we can reduce the discharge in the near future,” Sigman said. “However, we do have to keep a high discharge for now.”
Jackson public schools adjusts schedules ahead of Jackson flooding Aug. 28
Jackson Public Schools have announced a change of schedule at some public schools Monday and Tuesday due to projected flooding.
Officials have said the Pearl River in Jackson is expected to crest at 36 feet as early as Monday morning, flooding roads, homes and businesses in low lying areas.
Officials have said the same areas affected by a similar flood in 2020 are expected to be affected by this flooding and have asked residents and businesses to evacuate.
Here is the notice posted on the Jackson Public Schools District’s website Saturday night.
JPS Responds to Flood Threat with Adjustments for Schools on August 29-30
JPS Responds to Flood Threat with Adjustments for Schools on August 29-30
August 27, 2022
Due to the threat of flooding from the Pearl River outlined by public officials, scholars who attend McLeod Elementary School will shift to virtual learning on Monday, August 29 and Tuesday, August 30.
Scholars who attend other JPS schools and live in impacted areas (see detailed list below) will have the option to attend school virtually or in-person. Transportation will be provided from Spann Elementary School, located at 1615 Brecon Drive, to those impacted scholars who attend their schools in-person using the following schedules:
| School | Bus Pickup Times | Bus Drop Off Times |
| Casey Elementary | 6:55 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 2:35 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. |
| McWillie Elementary | 6:45 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 2:35 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. |
| Obama Elementary | 6:45 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 2:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
| Wells APAC | 6:45 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. | 2:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. |
| Bailey/Northwest Middle | 6:30 a.m. – 6:45 a.m. | 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. |
| Chastain Middle | 7:15 a.m. – 7:25 a.m. | 3:40 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. |
| JTECH | 6:30 a.m. – 6:45 a.m. | 3:15 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. |
| Jim Hill High | 7:35 a.m. – 7:15 a.m. | 4:40 p.m. – 4:55 p.m. |
| Murrah High | 7:05 a.m. – 7:15 a.m. | 4:10 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. |
Meals for virtual scholars will be available at Spann Elementary, Chastain Middle and Murrah High schools. Breakfast is served from 8-9 a.m. and lunch will be available from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m.
We will continue to monitor the rainfall to determine if alternate plans are needed to address flooding in other parts of the city.
Will your area flood? National Weather Service interactive inundation map
