17 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 2 lightning, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 May 30, 3:20 PM CST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 420 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 .DISCUSSION... A COLD FRONT NOW OVER THE EXTREME NW PART OF AR WILL MOVE THROUGH MOST OF THE CWA LATER TONIGHT. AN INTENSE SQUALL LINE HAS DEVELOPED JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND WILL MOVE THROUGH THE CWA LATER THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL ARE ALL POSSIBLE WITH THIS LINE. A FEW TORNADIC SUPERCELLS COULD DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE SQUALL LINE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SITUATION IS COVERED WELL BY A TORNADO WATCH AND SPC DAY 1 OUTLOOK INCLUDING MOST OF THE CWA UNDER A HIGH RISK. STRONG SOUTH WINDS ARE OCCURRING THIS AFTERNOON. A WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM FOR NE AR/MO BOOTHEEL. WILL LET THE WIND ADVISORY EXPIRE AT 6 PM SINCE SUSTAINED WINDS SHOULD DIP BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA AT THAT TIME. EXPECT THE COLD FRONT TO CLEAR THE REST OF THE NRN MS COUNTIES MONDAY. A SLGT CHC OF TSTMS STILL REMAINS OVER THE SRN HALF OF THE CWA MONDAY...BUT THE SVR RISK IS LOW. OTHER SHORTWAVES WILL BRING CHCS OF SHWRS/TSTMS LATER IN THE FCST PERIOD BUT NOTHING LOOKS SEVERE AT THIS TIME. && .MEG...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...WIND ADVISORY FOR NE AR UNTIL 6 PM. MS...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM. MO...NONE. TN...NONE. && SWC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 545 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 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>092-311100- 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- 545 PM CDT SUN MAY 30 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...WEST TENNESSEE AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL. .DAY ONE... A MAJOR OUTBREAK OF SEVERE WEATHER IS LIKELY ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH TONIGHT. THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT FOR EAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...WEST TENNESSEE AND THE NORTHWEST HALF OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI. THE HIGH RISK AREA IS NORTHWEST OF AN OXFORD TO CORINTH LINE AND INCLUDES JONESBORO...BLYTHEVILLE... DYERSBURG...MEMPHIS...JACKSON AND CLARKSDALE. THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT FOR THE REST OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI. THE MODERATE RISK AREA IS ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF AN OXFORD TO CORINTH LINE AND INCLUDES TUPELO. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT PROVIDING THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE MAIN LINE OF STORMS DURING THE EVENING. SEVERAL OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STORMS. THE MOST LIKELY TIME PERIOD FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS FROM THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THERE WILL BE OTHER CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE WEEK. AT THIS TIME...THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. 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. SWC
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 2 lightning, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
One house was damaged. Some trees were blown down.
Some trees and power lines were blown down.
Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down across the county.
One hotel in downtown Memphis had several windows blown out of it. Numerous trees were blown down across the county.
Several trees were blown down. One tree fell on a boat.
Numerous trees were knocked down across the county.
Several large tree limbs were knocked down.
One structure was damaged by a fire started by lightning.
Some trees were knocked down.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across the county.
A home was damaged by a fire started by lightning.
Several trees were blown down.
Some trees were knocked down.
A few trees were blown down.
Trees and power lines were knocked down across the county.
A couple of trees were knocked down.
Several streets were flooded in downtown Jackson.
Some trees and power lines were blown down.
Several homes had roof damage. Some trees were blown down with a few falling on houses. One house was severely damaged when a large tree fell on it.
Twenty five camper trailers and three campsites were destroyed injuring several people. Some of the camper trailers were blown into the Tennessee River. Several trees were knocked down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, May 2004
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: 5396126, 5396127, 5396128, 5396131, 5395750, 5396129, 5396130, 5396132, 5396133, 5396134, 5395751, 5396135, 5396136, 5396137, 5396138, 5396139, 5396140, 5395752, 5396141, 5396142, 5396143, 5395749.