Tropical Storm in Missouri, September 14, 2008

Name: Tropical Storm in Missouri, September 14, 2008
Start: 2008-09-14T05:00
End: 2008-09-14T08:00
Location: Missouri

September 14, 2008 · NWS MEG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Tropical Storm Ike moved across Northeast Arkansas into Southern Missouri. The storm weakened to a tropical depression as it moved northeast.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

Tropical Storm Ike moved across Northeast Arkansas into Southern Missouri. The storm weakened to a tropical depression as it moved northeast. Tropical storm force winds occurred over the Missouri Bootheel as a result. Substantial damage occurred from downed trees and power lines. Some structural damage occurred as well.

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 Sep 14, 2:45 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 14, 2:45 AM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
345 AM CDT SUN SEP 14 2008

.DISCUSSION...
TROPICAL DEPRESSION IKE WAS CENTERED OVER NORTH CENTRAL AR AT
DISCUSSION TIME... SLIGHTLY FARTHER ALONG IN ITS NORTHEASTWARD TRACK
THAN EARLIER FORECAST. KLZK/KNQA RADARS SHOWED A CONVECTIVE BAND
LIFTING NORTH THROUGH THE EASTERN AR/WESTERN MS DELTA...INTO THE
MEMPHIS METRO. LIGHTNING DETECTION HAD THUS FAR NOT PICKED UP ANY
GROUND STRIKES WITH THIS ACTIVITY DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...
INDICATIVE OF THE WEAK TO MARGINAL INSTABILITY. HOWEVER... 0 TO
3KM HELICITY VALUES WERE IMPRESSIVE...NEAR 500 M2/S2.

LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY SHOULD INCREASE FOLLOWING SUNRISE. BY THIS
TIME...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION IKE WILL BE CENTERED OVER
WEST CENTRAL IL. OVER THE MIDSOUTH...SURFACE WINDS OVER THE DELTA
REGION WILL VEER BEHIND A TROF AXIS BY 10 AM...LOWERING HELICITY
VALUES SIGNIFICANTLY. THERE WILL LIKELY BE A NARROW WINDOW OF HIGH
HELICITY AND WEAK TO MODERATE INSTABILITY OVER WEST TN...WELL EAST
OF MEMPHIS...IN THE MID TO LATE LATE MORNING. THIS AREA HAS BEEN
INCLUDED IN THE UPDATED SPC DAY1 OUTLOOK.

THIS AFTERNOON...THE BEST AREA OF LIFT WILL MOVE QUICKLY OFF TO
THE EAST...WITH SUBSIDENCE SWEEPING THROUGH THE MIDSOUTH BEHIND A
COLD FRONT. LOW END ADVISORY WIND SPEEDS MAY BE OBSERVED BEHIND
THE FRONT THIS AFTERNOON. HAVE OPTED TO KEEP THE WIND ADVISORY
THROUGH 4 PM CDT AND HAVE EXPANDED IT INTO THE TN RIVER VALLEY.
THIS ADVISORY MAY NEED EARLY CANCELLATION WEST OF THE MS RIVER.

WINDS WILL DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY OVER ALL OF THE MIDSOUTH THIS
EVENING... ACCOMPANIED BY CLEARING SKIES AND NOTICEABLY LESS HUMID
AIR.

THE UPCOMING WORKWEEK PROMISES TRANQUIL...AUTUMN LIKE WEATHER FOR
THE MIDSOUTH. WITH LOW DEWPOINTS...WEAK WINDS AND LIMITED CLOUDS...
EXPECT FAIRLY LARGE DIURNAL TEMPERATURE RANGES.

PWB

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MEM  82  60  76  56 /  70  10  10   0
MKL  80  56  76  53 /  80  10  10   0
JBR  80  58  75  55 /  90   0  10   0
TUP  84  62  77  55 /  60  10  10   0

&&

.MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR CLAY-CRAIGHEAD-
     CRITTENDEN-CROSS-GREENE-LAWRENCE-LEE AR-MISSISSIPPI-
     PHILLIPS-POINSETT-RANDOLPH-ST. FRANCIS.

MO...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR DUNKLIN-PEMISCOT.

MS...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR ALCORN-BENTON MS-
     COAHOMA-DESOTO-LAFAYETTE-MARSHALL-PANOLA-PRENTISS-QUITMAN-
     TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TIPPAH-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA-UNION-YALOBUSHA.

TN...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR CARROLL-CHESTER-
     CROCKETT-DECATUR-DYER-FAYETTE-GIBSON-HARDEMAN-HARDIN-
     HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-HENRY-LAKE-LAUDERDALE-MADISON-MCNAIRY-
     OBION-SHELBY-TIPTON-WEAKLEY.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 14, 4:45 AM CST, 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
545 AM CDT SUN SEP 14 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>092-151115-
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-
545 AM CDT SUN SEP 14 2008

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

VERY STRONG WINDS OF 40 MPH...WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH WILL OCCUR OVER
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...IN THE WALNUT RIDGE AND NEARBY AREAS THIS
MORNING. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THESE AREAS THROUGH 9
AM.

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE MIDSOUTH THROUGH 4 PM.
WIND GUSTS MAY REACH AS HIGH AS 45 MPH OVER NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE
MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST TENNESSEE THIS MORNING. THE STRONG WINDS
WILL LIKELY CAUSE TREE LIMB DAMAGE AND MAY RESULT IN ISOLATED POWER
OUTAGES. WINDS WILL DECREASE SIGNIFICANTLY OVER ALL OF THE MIDSOUTH
BY SUNSET.

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF TORNADOES OVER THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA
EARLY THIS MORNING. LATER THIS MORNING...THIS RISK AREA WILL LIFT
INTO TO WEST TENNESSEE...WITH A MID TO LATE MORNING TORNADO RISK
OCCURRING EAST OF A BOLIVAR TO TIPTONVILLE LINE. THE ISOLATED
TORNADO THREAT SHOULD END OVER ALL OF THE MIDSOUTH BY EARLY
AFTERNOON...AS WINDS SHIFT TO THE WEST...BRINGING IN DRIER AND MORE
STABLE AIR.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THIS MORNING OVER THE
MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA REGION...AND OVER WEST TENNESSEE THIS
MORNING...THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON.

PWB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Tropical Storm, Pemiscot

When: September 14, 5:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Pemiscot forecast zone
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 36.211, -89.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High winds from Tropical Storm Ike affected Pemiscot County. Winds were estimated between 30 and 40 knots. Two injuries occurred from the storm. One from a tree fallong onto a house in Caruthersville. The second from a firefighter from a falling tree limb while trying to rescue a person trapped in their home from a fallen tree. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down across the county.

Tropical Storm, Dunklin

When: September 14, 5:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where: Dunklin forecast zone
Property damage: $150,000
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 36.106, -90.166 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High winds from Tropical Storm Ike affected Dunklin County. The Malden AWOS reported sustained winds greater than 34 knots between 530 am LST and 700 am LST. The peak wind at the ASOS was 53 knots. Numeous trees and power lines were knocked down across the county.

What these are

Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Missouri in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Missouri, September 2008 The 2008 hurricane season

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 134934, 134935.