4 flash flood, 1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 19, 3:30 AM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 330 AM CST THU DEC 19 2002 KNQA RADAR SHOWS A LINE OF SHOWERS WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM THE NORTHEAST TO THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE CWA. THE LINE HAS BEEN SLOWLY MOVING WEST. THE LINE HAS SHOWN SIGNS OF WEAKENING. MODELS ARE SHOWING REDEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS IN MOST OF THE CWA. SPC HAS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE STORMS IN THE TUPELO AREA. A SLIGHT RISK IN THE REST OF THE COUNTIES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE TODAY...BUT DON/T EXPECT ANY HEAVIER RAIN THAN WHAT WE HAVE HAD TONIGHT. WILL HOLD OFF ISSUING ANY FLASH FLOOD WATCH BECAUSE OF THIS REASON. EXPECT THE LINE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS TO CONTINUE TO MOVE SLOWLY. GUIDANCE IS SHOWING VERY HIGH POPS...CATEGORICAL EVERYWHERE. CURRENTLY JONESBORO ZONE AREA HAS HARDLY ANY RAIN IN THE AREA...BUT MODELS ARE SHOWING SOME REDEVELOPMENT OF SHOWERS BEHIND THE CURRENT LINE. SO WILL GO LIKELY IN JONESBORO AND CATEGORICAL EVERYWHERE ELSE. THE FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH THE MEMPHIS AREA AROUND MIDDAY ENDING THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS...ONCE THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH. SHOWERS MAY LINGER THOUGH THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT IN AREAS EAST OF THE RIVER. SO HAVE PUT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN MEMPHIS AND JACKSON ZONE GROUPING AND CHANCE POPS IN THE TUPELO ZONE. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP BEHIND THE FRONT BACK TO NEAR CLIMO. CLOUDS WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE THURSDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE AREA ON FRIDAY. EXPECT COOLER BUT SUNNY CONDITIONS. THE NEXT FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA ON SATURDAY AND WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA ON SATURDAY NIGHT. MODELS SHOWING PRECIPITATION STARTING SATURDAY AFTERNOON ENDING SUNDAY MORNING. EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO BE RAIN FOR MOST OF THE NIGHT BUT MAY CHANGE TO SNOW AS TEMPERATURES DROP BEHIND THE FRONT. HAVE ADDED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS OF RAIN EVERYWHERE SATURDAY AND HAVE ADDED A CHANCE OF RAIN OR SNOW SATURDAY NIGHT EVERYWHERE FOR NOW. HIGH PRESSURE MOVES BACK INTO THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ON THE COOL SIDE. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE AREA CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS DAY. HAVE KEPT A CHANCE FOR RAIN ON CHRISTMAS EVE AND A CHANCE FOR RAIN OR SNOW ON CHRISTMAS DAY. PRELIMINARY NUMBERS MEM 62/37 52/35 54 +2002 MKL 60/34 50/32 52 +2002 JBR 58/34 51/33 52 71002 TUP 65/40 53/33 55 +3002 .MEG...NONE. KRS
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017- 020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-191100- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 950 PM CST WED DEC 18 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...WEST TENNESSEE AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. .DAY ONE...REST OF TONIGHT... THERE IS A MODERATE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...ACROSS NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE AND EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS. THIS INCLUDES MEMPHIS...JACKSON...CLARKSDALE...HELENA AND OXFORD. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE REST OF THE MID SOUTH...INCLUDING JONESBORO AND TUPELO. DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE ENTIRE MID SOUTH. ISOLATED TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE MODERATE RISK AREA. THE MOST LIKELY TIME PERIOD FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE FROM 10 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT IN EAST ARKANSAS AND FROM 10 PM UNTIL 6 AM IN WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI. A POWERFUL JET STREAM COUPLED WITH WARM MOIST AIR AT THE SURFACE IS THE REASON FOR THE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUR ON THURSDAY. THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE BIGGEST THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NECESSARY TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT (LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MEG. SWC
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1132 PM CST WED DEC 18 2002
TIME(CST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0645 PM CARDWELL MO WIND DAMAGE
12/18/02 DUNKLIN 60 MPH WINDS. REPORTED BY
HAM RADIO OPERATOR.
0710 PM CARUTHERSVILLE MO WIND DAMAGE
12/18/02 PEMISCOT LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN
SMALL HAIL AND STREET
FLOODING. REPORTED BY
SPOTTER.
0820 PM WYNNE AR WIND DAMAGE
12/18/02 CROSS ROOF BLOWN OFF
RESTAURANT. EVACUATING
DUE TO A GAS LEAK.
REPORTED BY EMPLOYEE OF
THE COACHMAN INN.
0820 PM WYNNE AR WIND DAMAGE
12/18/02 CROSS 3 MOBILE HOMES
OVERTURNED. REPORTED BY
CROSS COUNTY EMA.
0915 PM WEST MEMPHIS AR WIND DAMAGE
12/18/02 CRITTENDEN POWER LINES DOWN.
REPORTED BY STATE POLICE.
0930 PM AUBREY AR TORNADO
12/18/02 LEE(AR) TORNADO TOUCHDOWN CAUSED
PROPERTY DAMAGE. REPORTED
BY LEE(AR) COUNTY
SHERIFFS OFFICE.
1000 PM COVINGTON TN 0.75 INCH HAIL
12/18/02 TIPTON REPORTED BY TIPTON COUNTY
EMA.
1015 PM SOUTHAVEN MS 0.75 INCH HAIL
12/18/02 DESOTO ALONG I-55 BETWEEN STATE
LINE ROAD AND GOODMAN
ROAD. REPORTED BY DESOTO
COUNTY EMA.MSZ002>006-009-013>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-089>092- 190900- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 130 AM CST THU DEC 19 2002 ...PORTION OF TORNADO WATCH 789 HAS BEEN CANCELED... TORNADO WATCH 789 HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN ARKANSAS...CRITTENDEN...LEE...MISSISSIPPI...PHILLIPS...AND ST. FRANCIS. IN TENNESSEE THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CANCELED FROM THE WATCH...TIPTON...SHELBY...HAYWOOD. IN MISSISSIPPI THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES HAVE BEEN CANCELED FROM THE WATCH...DESOTO...COAHOMA...AND TUNICA. KRS
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 141 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:00 UTC.
4 flash flood, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood water reached up to some homes. Several roads were flooded.
Several roads were closed due to flooding.
Some roads were closed due to flooding.
One road was washed out. Several other roads were flooded.
Some minor street flooding occurred in Crenshaw.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, December 2002
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5325998, 5325995, 5325996, 5325997, 5325994.