Severe thunderstorms could hit the Lincoln County area Wednesdaynight, possibly bringing with them large hail that could get up tothe size of golf balls.

Lincoln County Civil Defense Director Clifford Galey said thestorm system should come through Wednesday afternoon, especiallyafter 3 p.m.

“This is just one of those wintertime storms, there’s just areal good possibility of large hail and the possibility of atornado or two,” he said.

The National Weather Service is predicting the weather couldlast from about 3 p.m. to about midnight Wednesday, and bring withit a primary risk of large hail and a lesser risk of damaging windsand tornadoes, Galey said. He said the storms could bring wind upto 60 or 70 miles per hour, and urged area residents to take commonstorm precautions.

“Be weather conscious in case it happens here,” he said.

Meanwhile a release from Copiah County EMA Director Randle Dranealso detailed the weather, saying deep moisture from the Gulf ofMexico could combine with unstable air to create an environmentthat fosters severe weather. The release said the front could bringheavy rainfall and flash flooding as the storm system is pushedthrough by a warm front.

While the area should expect between 2 and 4 inches of rain, theweather system is unpredictable, Galey said.

“It’s kind of unusual because it’s a winter storm, and you don’treally know what they’re going to do,” he said.

And it looks as though the weather could be rough again over theweekend, Galey said. He said another storm system could come in onSaturday and Sunday.

“There’s no winter weather, just severe weather,” he said.

The front is expected to affect Copiah, Franklin, Lawrence andLincoln counties and surrounding areas.