Hail, De Soto
- When
- March 20, 6:10 PM CST to 6:15 PM CST
- Where
- De Soto County, Olive Branch
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $100
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 34.967, -89.817
Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, March 20, 2004
2 hail, 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $12,000
- 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 Mar 20, 2:15 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 2:15 PM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 215 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 .DISCUSSION... RADAR INDICATES A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM POINSETT COUNTY AR TO CARROLL COUNTY AR THAT IS MOVING SOUTHEAST. THE LINE SHOULD SWEEP THROUGH THE REST OF THE MIDSOUTH BEFORE MIDNIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS HAVE BEEN SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL. THERE IS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OUT UNTIL 6 PM FOR NE AR...THE MO BOOTHEEL... AND WEST TN. THE COLD FRONT THAT IS CAUSING THESE SHOWERS WILL MOVE SOUTH OF THE AREA BY MIDNIGHT. LOW TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE MUCH COLDER ONCE THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH. FREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL OCCUR IN THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE MIDSOUTH SUNDAY NIGHT. && .MEG...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 6 PM CST. MS...NONE. MO...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 6 PM CST. TN...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 6 PM CST. && WER
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 20, 3:10 PM CST, 3 hours before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 310 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017- 020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-221100- ALCORN-BENTON-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CHESTER-CHICKASAW-CLAY-COAHOMA- CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROCKETT-CROSS-DECATUR-DESOTO-DUNKLIN-DYER- FAYETTE-GIBSON-GREENE-HARDEMAN-HARDIN-HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-HENRY- ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LAKE-LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LEE(AR)-LEE(MS)-MADISON- MARSHALL-MCNAIRY-MISSISSIPPI-MONROE-OBION-PANOLA-PEMISCOT-PHILLIPS- POINSETT-PONTOTOC-PRENTISS-QUITMAN-RANDOLPH-SHELBY-ST. FRANCIS- TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TIPPAH-TIPTON-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA-UNION-WEAKLEY- YALOBUSHA- 310 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...WEST TENNESSEE AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A COLD FRONT NOW FROM CAIRO IL TO FORT SMITH AR IS GOING TO MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA BY MIDNIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS UNTIL 6 PM IN EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS...NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...AND WEST TENNESSEE. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND WIND DAMAGE. OTHERWISE...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL RUMBLE THROUGH THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE MIDSOUTH THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY FREEZING TEMPERATURES COULD OCCUR MONDAY MORNING IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE MIDSOUTH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION... CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MEG. SJM
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 4:57 PM CST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 457 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 MSZ001-202330- DE SOTO MS- 457 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...DESOTO COUNTY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF LYNCHBURG AT 457 PM CST...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH. PEOPLE IN DESOTO COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF HERNANDO...HORN LAKE AND SOUTHAVEN...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. JCL
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 5:02 PM CST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 502 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 ARZ026-028-202330- CRAIGHEAD AR-MISSISSIPPI AR- 502 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...CRAIGHEAD AND MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 12 MILES NORTH OF MONETTE AT 502 PM CST...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH. PEOPLE IN CRAIGHEAD AND MISSISSIPPI COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF CARAWAY...LAKE CITY...LEACHVILLE...MANILA AND MONETTE...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. JCL
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 5:26 PM CST, 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 526 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 TNZ050-089-202345- FAYETTE TN-HAYWOOD TN- 526 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...FAYETTE AND HAYWOOD COUNTIES. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES WEST OF DANCYVILLE AT 526 PM CST...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN FAYETTE AND HAYWOOD COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. JCL
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 5:42 PM CST, 28 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 542 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 MSZ001-210000- DE SOTO MS- 542 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...DESOTO COUNTY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 7 MILES NORTH OF SOUTHAVEN AT 542 PM CST...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH. PEOPLE IN DESOTO COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF HERNANDO...HORN LAKE...OLIVE BRANCH AND SOUTHAVEN...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. JCL
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 5:43 PM CST, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 543 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 TNZ089-210015- FAYETTE TN- 543 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...FAYETTE COUNTY. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF SOMERVILLE AT 543 PM CST...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN FAYETTE COUNTY SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. JCL
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 6:01 PM CST, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 601 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 MSZ002-210030- MARSHALL MS- 601 PM CST SAT MAR 20 2004 THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR...MARSHALL COUNTY. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 17 MILES NORTHWEST OF BYHALIA AT 601 PM CST...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. PEOPLE IN MARSHALL COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITY OF HOLLY SPRINGS... SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. JCL
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 hail, 2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, De Soto
- When
- March 20, 6:20 PM CST to 6:35 PM CST
- Where
- De Soto County, Olive Branch
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 34.967, -89.817
Numerous trees were blown down.
Hail, De Soto
- When
- March 20, 6:30 PM CST to 6:35 PM CST
- Where
- De Soto County, Olive Branch
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $120
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.967, -89.817
Flash Flood, De Soto
- When
- March 20, 7:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- De Soto County, Olive Branch
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 34.875, -89.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several roads were flooded with as much as 6 inches of water.
Flash Flood, Tate
- When
- March 20, 8:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
- Where
- Tate County, Independence
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 34.650, -89.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Some streets were flooded.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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.
- 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
- Avalanche in Colorado, March 20, 2004
- Rip Current in Florida, March 20, 2004
- High Wind in Iowa, March 20, 2004
- Hail in Georgia, March 20, 2004
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, March 20 to 21, 2004
- Damaging Winds in Kentucky, March 20, 2004
- Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, March 20, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 20, 2004
- Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, March 20, 2004
- Damaging Winds in Mississippi, March 20, 2004
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 20, 2004
- Damaging Winds in Arkansas, March 20, 2004
More
Every storm in Mississippi in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, March 2004
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: 5390111, 5390112, 5390113, 5390114, 5390115.