Mississippi news: Heat advisory expands, DeSoto ozone concern and Olive Branch phones restored
Morning edition — Saturday, September 19, 2026
More of Mississippi is under a heat advisory for Saturday afternoon after the National Weather Service expanded its warning area overnight. The change brings the Jackson metro, Vicksburg and additional central Mississippi communities into the advisory, while DeSoto County faces a separate ozone concern.
Other developments include restored city phone service in Olive Branch, a yearlong literacy effort in New Albany schools and new instructions for Riverfest vendors. Looking ahead, state employees have a free wellness event in Jackson next week, and Northeast Mississippi Community College is highlighting a graduate’s path into pharmacy work.
Heat advisory expands to 21 more counties
The National Weather Service in Jackson expanded its Saturday heat advisory at 3:57 a.m., adding 21 counties to the 11 announced Friday. The advisory runs from noon to 8 p.m. CDT September 19, with heat-index values above 105 degrees expected.
The added counties are Grenada, Carroll, Montgomery, Humphreys, Holmes, Attala, Issaquena, Sharkey, Yazoo, Madison, Leake, Warren, Hinds, Rankin, Scott, Claiborne, Copiah, Simpson, Smith, Jasper and Clarke. The eastern counties covered in Friday’s announcement remain included. Northern Mississippi’s separate Memphis-office advisory also continues through 8 p.m. Saturday.
This is a geographic expansion since last night’s briefing, so residents outside Friday’s announced area should check the current official bulletin. NWS advises frequent breaks in shade or air conditioning, fluids and checks on relatives and neighbors. Heat stroke is an emergency requiring a 911 call.
The Jackson office’s Saturday morning forecast discussion keeps dangerous heat into early next week before drier air and lower humidity arrive. It anticipates highs of 96–101 early in the week, easing to 86–94 by week’s end across its forecast area.
Farther north, the Memphis office’s new seven-day outlook also points to moderation by midweek, while acknowledging uncertainty in the forecast guidance. Saturday’s graphic projects Wednesday highs of 89 in Tupelo and Clarksdale, 86 in Oxford and 87 in Corinth. These are forecasts, not observed temperatures. Read our report on the cooling outlook.
Saturday ozone forecast adds a concern in DeSoto County
The Shelby County Health Department has issued a Code Orange ozone forecast for Saturday covering DeSoto County, along with Shelby County, Tennessee, and Crittenden County, Arkansas. NWS Memphis relayed the dated bulletin at 4:03 a.m. Saturday.
The forecast calls for ozone levels unhealthy for sensitive groups. The health department advises active children and adults, and people with respiratory diseases such as asthma, to limit prolonged outdoor exertion.
This is a Saturday forecast, separate from Friday’s advisory based on monitored ozone. Readers planning outdoor activities in DeSoto should account for both air quality and heat, and check updated conditions through AirNow.
Olive Branch reports city phone service restored
Olive Branch police have updated their earlier communications notice to say service to city phone lines has been restored. That resolves the outage status reported in an earlier briefing, when the non-emergency line was unavailable but 911 remained operational.
The department’s updated announcement asks residents to continue using 911 for emergencies and specifically asks people not to call the non-emergency number simply to test it. The update does not provide an exact restoration time.
Older outage instructions remain beneath the restoration message in the same post. The update at the top is the current information; readers sharing the notice should include it so the earlier disruption is not mistaken for an ongoing outage. Our full restoration report explains the earlier interruption.
New Albany teachers begin continuing literacy work
New Albany High School says the National Literacy Institute has worked with teachers at NAMS and NAHS on practical ways to help students understand, retain and apply classroom learning. The school’s announcement says the institute will continue working with secondary teachers throughout the year.
The continuing involvement is the key point for families: the school describes an ongoing instructional effort extending beyond the initial training session. Its stated emphasis is helping teachers across subjects build stronger readers and learners.
The announcement does not report measured student results from this work, so it should be understood as an account of teacher development and planned support. Read our coverage of the literacy initiative.
Northeast highlights an adult-education route into pharmacy work
Northeast Mississippi Community College’s Adult Education program is sharing the experience of a former student identified as Shiloh, now working as a pharmacy technician at the Corinth Walmart Pharmacy. The college’s account traces her progress through Smart Start Professional Development, the Gateway Youth Program and high school equivalency study.
According to the program, she enrolled in Smart Start in November 2024, earned her equivalency diploma December 11, 2024, and obtained her pharmacy technician license February 28, 2026. She also gained workplace experience as a student administrative assistant at the WIN Job Center.
Those dates matter: the newly shared profile describes an earlier educational and career progression, rather than a license awarded this morning. Our full report provides the sequence and the program’s account of her work.
Riverfest vendors should locate their check-in packets
With Tallahatchie Riverfest scheduled for Saturday, September 26, in historic downtown New Albany, organizers say official vendor packets have been emailed to vendors who paid their fees. The update shared by New Albany Main Street identifies the sender as visitnewalbany@gmail.com.
Paid vendors who have not located the message should check Spam, Junk and Promotions folders. The packets contain check-in, load-in, parking, setup and other festival-day instructions. Organizers ask vendors to bring the email or packet on a phone, or carry a printed copy, so the check-in team can resolve registration or contact-information questions.
The practical step this weekend is to locate and read that packet before planning arrival and unloading. The announcement does not supply universal arrival times or parking assignments in its public text; those details belong in each vendor’s instructions. See our Riverfest vendor report.
State employees can plan for Wednesday’s wellness expo
The Mississippi State Department of Health lists the third annual State Employee Wellness Expo for Wednesday, September 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mississippi Trade Mart, 1207 Mississippi St., Jackson. Attendance is free and the event is open to all state employees.
The official event listing includes seasonal flu shots, blood-pressure and blood-sugar checks from the UMMC School of Nursing, oral-health and dental screenings, and information on cancer prevention, heart health and other services.
State-employee resources listed include PERS, Medicaid programs, the Mississippi Insurance Department and the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. The event brings health services and benefit information together for employees preparing questions about their own needs. This is a coming-week planning item; the agency’s page was last reviewed September 11.
Featured graphic: National Weather Service Memphis, updated September 19, 2026, at 3:59 a.m. CDT. The chart shows forecasts for selected Mid-South cities, not statewide advisory boundaries.
Compiled with AI assistance from Mississippi News Group coverage and linked official sources. Read our editorial standards and AI disclosure.
