Mississippi, 2002

Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Mississippi, July 12, 2002

July 12, 2002 · NWS MEG · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$7,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jul 12, 8:45 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 8:45 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
945 AM CDT FRI JUL 12 2002

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALREADY IN FORECAST AREA THIS
MORNING. WILL BE SEEING A CONTINUATION OF THIS PATTERN THROUGHOUT
THE DAY. CURRENT FORECAST SEEMS TO HANDLING THIS SITUATION FINE AND
NO CHANGES ARE PLANNED AT THIS TIME.

.MEG...NONE.

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, De Soto

When
July 12, 11:00 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where
De Soto County, South Haven
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.875, -89.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several streets were flooded as over 2 inches of rain fell in about 40 minutes.

Thunderstorm Wind, Benton

When
July 12, 11:25 AM CST to 11:30 AM CST
Where
Benton County, Hickory Flat
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.617, -89.183

Some trees were blown down.

Flash Flood, Union

When
July 12, 1:00 PM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where
Union County, Ingomar
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
34.491, -89.004 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One road was under water.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Mississippi in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, July 2002

Sources

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: 5311684, 5311683, 5311685.