Showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the late morning and afternoon hours of July 22, 2008. Some storms produced large hail and damaging winds.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS MEG wrote it up.
Showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the late morning and afternoon hours of July 22, 2008. Some storms produced large hail and damaging winds.
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 22, 2:54 PM CST, 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 354 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 .DISCUSSION... HEAT...STRONG/SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...AND RAIN CHANCES FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ARE THE MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGES/CONCERNS. LATEST MODELS WERE IN FAIR AGREEMENT. VIRTUALLY ALL OF THEM INITIALIZED TODAY/S CONVECTION OVER THE AREA VERY POORLY. OVERALL...USED A BLEND OF MODEL DATA. DID NOT MAKE ANY HUGE CHANGES TO THE PREVIOUS FORECAST. CANCELLED THE HEAT ADVISORY AS HEAT INDEX VALUES SHOULD REMAIN BELOW 105 DEGREES FOR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING WITH SHOWER/STORM DEVELOPMENT AND NUMEROUS NEARBY OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES TO COOL THE AIR. AT 345 PM CDT ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH AND FORECAST AREA...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER NORTH MS WHERE HOT UNSTABLE AIR CLASHED WITH A MAIN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THIS MORNING/S CONVECTION OVER NE AR/MO BOOTHEEL. MOST OF E AR/MO BOOTHEEL WAS MOSTLY SUNNY AND DRY. TEMPERATURES VARIED FROM THE MID 70S IN RAIN COOLED AIR OVER NE MS TO THE MID/UPPER 90S NEAR MEMPHIS TN AND SOUTH OF THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY IN TALLAHATCHIE/YALOBUSHA COUNTIES IN MS. REST OF THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT...THINK SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE AREA. TWO POSSIBLE FOCI FOR LIFT INCLUDE A WEAKENING MCV/SHORT WAVE MOVING INTO SE MO AND NE AR AS WELL AS THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY OVER NORTH MS. A FEW STORMS STILL MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE WHERE RAIN HAS NOT OCCURRED YET TODAY...PARTICULARLY NEAR THE MS RIVER AND SOUTH OF THE MAIN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY IN NORTH MS. DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH ARE THE MAIN HAZARD...THOUGH SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE AS WELL. NOT ALL AREAS WILL GET WET AS CONVECTION WILL REMAIN UNORGANIZED...BUT SOME AREAS COULD GET A QUICK 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL. MOST SHOWER/STORM ACTIVITY WILL DIMINISH AFTER 10 PM CDT AS DAYTIME HEATING CEASES. USED A BLEND FOR RAIN CHANCES TONIGHT... 40 TO 50 PERCENT. LOWS TONIGHT SHOULD BE COOLER THAN MOST MODEL GUIDANCE WITH NUMEROUS OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES TO COOL/STABILIZE THE AIR. PATCHY FOG MAY DEVELOP TOWARDS SUNRISE..BUT LEFT MENTION OUT OF FORECAST AS NOT CONFIDENT ABOUT OCCURRENCE WITH SKIES EXPECTED TO BE MOSTLY CLOUDY. WEDNESDAY WILL BE COOLER WITH NORTH WINDS DEVELOPING...ESPECIALLY WITH MORNING CLOUDS AND SHOWERS/STORMS AROUND. KEPT RAIN CHANCES IN THE 20 TO 50 PERCENT RANGE WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES OVER NE MS. BELIEVE CLEARING AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL MAINLY PREVAIL DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS...THOUGH A FEW SHOWERS/STORMS MAY REDEVELOP SOUTH OF A FORREST CITY AR TO CORINTH MS WHERE THE AIR WILL BE MOIST AND MOST UNSTABLE. STRONG STORMS APPEAR LESS LIKELY. HIGHS SHOULD BE AROUND 90 DEGREES. WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED...THOUGH KEPT LOW RAIN CHANCES MAINLY WEST OF A PARAGOULD AR TO TUPELO MS LINE WHERE MOISTURE WILL BE GREATEST... PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ABOVE 1.5 INCHES. THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT TUESDAY...DID NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE FORECAST DURING THIS TIME FRAME WITH TYPICAL SUMMERTIME WEATHER EXPECTED. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR POSSIBLE MCS DEVELOPMENT THURSDAY NIGHT INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE AREA WILL BE ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF A DEVELOPING UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE.TOOK THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HOT AND DRY GFS MODEL AND THE WET AND COOLER ECMWF MODEL. KEPT LOW RAIN CHANCES EACH DAY WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES...HIGHS IN THE LOWER TO MID 90S AND LOWS IN THE LOWER 70S. FORECAST CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW DURING THIS TIME FRAME. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 73 91 74 94 / 50 30 20 20 MKL 71 88 67 91 / 50 40 10 10 JBR 71 90 71 94 / 40 20 20 20 TUP 74 89 71 93 / 50 50 20 20 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. && MBS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 328 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-232230- 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- 328 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STRONG TO SEVERE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE ENTIRE MIDSOUTH AND FORECAST AREA...MAINLY THROUGH 10 PM CDT. THE MAIN HAZARD WITH ANY SEVERE STORM THAT DEVELOPS IS DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OF 1 TO 3 INCHES MAY OCCUR IN A FEW SPOTS ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH AND FORECAST AREA...MAINLY THROUGH 10 PM CDT. THIS MAY CAUSE MINOR FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED IN A FEW LOCATIONS THROUGH 10 PM CDT. MBS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1044 AM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ARZ008-017-221630- RANDOLPH AR-LAWRENCE AR- 1044 AM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... NORTHEASTERN LAWRENCE COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... SOUTHERN RANDOLPH COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL WAS LOCATED 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF IMBODEN AT 1044 AM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN LAWRENCE AND RANDOLPH COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF BLACK ROCK...POCAHONTAS AND WALNUT RIDGE...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY..
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1143 AM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1112 AM HAIL DELAPLAINE 36.23N 90.73W
07/22/2008 E0.75 INCH GREENE AR POST OFFICE
PENNY HAIL AT THE DELPLAINE POST OFFICE.
&&
CCDSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1249 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 TNZ092-221815- HARDIN TN- 1249 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... SOUTHEASTERN HARDIN COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL WAS LOCATED 5 MILES WEST OF WALNUT GROVE AT 1249 PM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN HARDIN COUNTY SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY..
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 136 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 MSZ005-006-221915- ALCORN MS-TISHOMINGO MS- 136 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... NORTHEASTERN ALCORN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... NORTHERN TISHOMINGO COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTH OF BURNSVILLE AT 136 PM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 9 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN ALCORN AND TISHOMINGO COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITY OF IUKA...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY..
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 257 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ARZ058-222030- PHILLIPS AR- 257 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... CENTRAL PHILLIPS COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF LAKE VIEW AT 257 PM CDT... MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN PHILLIPS COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF MARVELL AND WEST HELENA...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 330 PM CDT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 339 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 MSZ023-222115- CHICKASAW MS- 339 PM CDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... SOUTHERN CHICKASAW COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 3 MILES WEST OF HOUSTON AT 339 PM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM IS INTENSIFYING AND COULD BECOME SEVERE RAPIDLY. PEOPLE IN CHICKASAW COUNTY...INCLUDING THE CITY OF HOUSTON...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY..
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 46 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:05 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds blew numerous large trees down along Leslie Lane.
Straight line winds blew large limbs down, 4 miles north of Byhalia.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding along Red Banks Road. A field and a few outbuildings were flooded as a result.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, July 2008
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: 123551, 123552, 123554, 128167.