Tennessee, 2002

Flash Flooding in Tennessee, October 10, 2002

October 10, 2002 · NWS MEG · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

5 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
$47,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 Oct 10, 3:05 AM CST, 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 10, 3:05 AM CST, 10 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 9, 3:40 AM CST, 23 hours 35 minutes before
ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017-
020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-100900-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
440 AM CDT WED OCT 9 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTH
MISSISSIPPI...WEST TENNESSEE AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL.

.DAY ONE...

RAIN WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE MID SOUTH TODAY AND CONTINUE TONIGHT.
THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN ACROSS PARTS OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI TONIGHT. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THAT THE RAIN WILL NOT
BE HEAVY ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLOODING.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

JCL

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Shelby

When
October 10, 3:15 AM CST to 6:30 AM CST
Where
Shelby County, Countywide
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.184, -89.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A few homes had water in them. A mobile home park had to be evacuated. Many streets were flooded.

Flash Flood, Fayette

When
October 10, 7:00 AM CST to 10:30 AM CST
Where
Fayette County, Countywide
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.197, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several homes were flooded. Numerous roads across the county were flooded.

Flash Flood, Hardeman

When
October 10, 10:20 AM CST to 11:45 AM CST
Where
Hardeman County, Bolivar
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.207, -88.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Some roads were flooded.

Flash Flood, Madison

When
October 10, 10:35 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where
Madison County, Jackson
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.608, -88.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous roads were flooded.

Flash Flood, Chester

When
October 10, 11:30 AM CST to 1:30 PM CST
Where
Chester County, 1 mi N of Henderson
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.422, -88.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A few roads were flooded.

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, October 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5319276, 5319277, 5319278, 5319279, 5319280.