Lightning Strike in Tennessee, March 31, 2007

Name: Lightning Strike in Tennessee, March 31, 2007
Start: 2007-03-31T13:10
End: 2007-03-31T13:10
Location: Tennessee

March 31, 2007 · NWS MEG · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorms during the morning and afternoon hours of March 31. 2007 produced dangerous lightning strikes.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 6
Property damage: $500,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 happened

The episode as NWS MEG wrote it up.

Thunderstorms during the morning and afternoon hours of March 31. 2007 produced dangerous lightning strikes. One in which struck a house.

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 31, 8:41 AM CST, 4 hours 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 8:41 AM CST, 4 hours 29 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
941 AM CDT SAT MAR 31 2007

.DISCUSSION...

AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS SLOWLY MOVING EAST AND IS
JUST ABOUT TO MOVE INTO WESTERN PORTION OF FORECAST AREA.
TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S BUT WITH EXTENSIVE
CLOUD COVER BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO THE REGION DO NOT EXPECT
READINGS TO WARM UP TOO MUCH MORE. SEVERE THREAT STILL A
POSSIBILITY SO WILL KEEP MENTION IN FORECAST. WILL UPDATE FORECAST
TO REMOVE AFTERNOON WORDING BUT NO OTHER CHANGES APPEAR TO BE NEEDED.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 340 AM CDT SAT MAR 31 2007/

DISCUSSION...

THICK CLOUD COVER EXTENDS ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH THIS MORNING AHEAD
OF AN UPPER LOW SPINNING OVER WESTERN OKLAHOMA. SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NORTHERN MISSOURI THROUGH CENTRAL
ARKANSAS AND INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS.

THE UPPER LOW OVER THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE WILL TRANSLATE INTO
SOUTHWESTERN IOWA LATE THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS TO INCREASE IN ADVANCE OF THE UPPER LOW. THE
ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL FOLLOW IN THE WAKE OF THE STORMS.
ANTICIPATING STORMS TO MOVE INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS BY NOON AND
DRIFT EASTWARD THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. THE WHOLE MIDSOUTH IS
UNDER A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER MAINLY THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. AREA FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE WEAK CAPE FOR MUCH OF
THE AREA...HOWEVER SHEAR IS IMPRESSIVE. LIFTED INDICES RANGE FROM
1 TO -2 WITH THE MOST UNSTABLE AIR SITUATED OVER NORTH
MISSISSIPPI. WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT...HOWEVER ISOLATED
TORNADOES ARE ALSO POSSIBLE AFTER CONSIDERING THE DEEP SHEAR.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL MOVE OUT OF THE SOUTHEASTERN FORECAST
AREA AROUND MIDNIGHT OR SHORTLY AFTER. RESIDUAL RAIN WILL PERSIST
THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MAINLY ACROSS NE MS CLEARING IN THE
AFTERNOON. DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.

DAYTIME TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 70S TO
LOWER 80S THROUGH TUESDAY BEFORE A STRONG COLD FRONT BARRELS
THROUGH THE MIDSOUTH. AHEAD OF THE FRONT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL BE POSSIBLE TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT.

TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK.
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR RAIN WILL OCCUR THURSDAY NIGHT.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MEM  77  56  77  57 /  80  50  10   0
MKL  75  57  77  51 /  60  60  10  10
JBR  75  55  78  55 /  80  30  10  10
TUP  75  59  77  51 /  50  90  20   0

&&

.MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...NONE.
MO...NONE.
MS...NONE.
TN...NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 31, 10:20 AM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1120 AM CDT SAT MAR 31 2007

ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-
MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-011200-
ALCORN-BENTON(MS)-CALHOUN-CARROLL-CHESTER-CHICKASAW-CLAY-COAHOMA-
CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROCKETT-CROSS-DESOTO-DECATUR-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-
1120 AM CDT SAT MAR 31 2007

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

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE ENTIRE MIDSOUTH
THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MID-SOUTH DUE TO AN
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND ASSOCIATED WEAK COLD FRONT. THESE STORMS
WILL MOVE INTO UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE MIDSOUTH REGION. THE STORMS
WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING. THE MAIN
THREAT FROM THE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED
TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION ON TUESDAY. SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE MID-SOUTH. SOME OF THESE
THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE STRONG OR SEVERE.

COLDER AIR WILL MOVE IN BEHIND THIS FRONT AND SETTLE INTO THE
MID-SOUTH FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SOME PATCHY FROST MAY BE
FOUND ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST TENNESSEE EARLY THURSDAY AND
FRIDAY MORNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AS WELL
AS POSSIBLY ON TUESDAY.

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:09 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Shelby

When: March 31, 1:10 PM CST
Where: Shelby County, 2 mi W of Collierville
Injuries: 0 direct, 6 indirect
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 35.050, -89.705

A lightning strike caused a fire at a house on Shea Road. The fire caused substantial damage to the home. Four firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion and two other firefighters were treated for other injuries. The fire took 4 to 5 hours to put out. The lightning bolt apparently traveled across the top of the house. The house was under construction and was a few weeks from being completed.

What these are

Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, March 2007

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: 28925.