A cold front moved into Northern portions of the Midsouth during the late evening hours of April 25, 2008. The front continued to sink south during the early morning hours of April 26, 2008.
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.
A cold front moved into Northern portions of the Midsouth during the late evening hours of April 25, 2008. The front continued to sink south during the early morning hours of April 26, 2008. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the front. Some of the storms produced 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 Apr 25, 7:55 PM CST, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 855 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 .DISCUSSION... COLD FRONT EXTENDS FROM NEAR CHICAGO THROUGH SOUTHEAST MISSOURI INTO NORTHEAST TEXAS. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS FORMED JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND IS MOVING INTO THE FORECAST AREA. SOME LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STORMS BUT THE ACTIVITY SHOULD WEAKEN SOME AS THE STORMS MOVE EAST. WILL SEND AN UPDATE AROUND 10 PM TO REMOVE EVENING WORDING BUT NO MAJOR CHANGES ARE PLANNED UNLESS THE LINE OF STORMS SLOWS DOWN. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 338 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008/ DISCUSSION... A LEAD SOUTHERN STREAM UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE NOW MOVING ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI AND TENNESSEE VALLEYS HAS INITIATED CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH. THESE STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP WITHIN A DESTABLIZING AIRMASS AS SBCAPES ARE EXCEEDING 1000J/KG IN THIS REGION. A LAYER OF WARMER MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO BE THE PRIMARY LIMITING FACTOR TO STORM INTENSITY. THERMODYNAMIC INSTABILITY WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE WITH STRONG HEATING THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS MAY TEND TO ERODE THE CAPPING INVERSION FURTHER ALLOWING FOR A FEW STORMS THIS AFTERNOON TO APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS. THIS AFTERNOONS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY SHOULD REMAIN MORE PULSE IN NATURE AS BETTER DEEP LAYER SHEAR REMAINS BACK TO THE NORTHWEST. A MORE ORGANIZED THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL COME LATER THIS EVENING AS A SECONDARY NORTHERN STREAM UPPER SHORTWAVE EJECTS NORTHEAST ACROSS THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THIS EVENING. EXPECT A COLD FRONT OVER NORTHWEST ARKANSAS AS OF 20Z TO CONTINUE MOVING EAST THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. EXPECT A BROKEN LINE OF STORMS TO MOVE INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA AFTER 8PM THIS EVENING AND THEN ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BEFORE MIDNIGHT. DEEP LAYER SHEAR WILL INCREASE (30-40KTS) ALONG THE FRONT AND ALONG THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF A MID LEVEL JET STREAK MOVING THROUGH THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. INSTABILITY WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE AFTER SUNSET...BUT SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO SUSTAIN A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS NEAR AND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER BEFORE MIDNIGHT. SBCAPES WILL STILL RANGE FROM 500-1000J/KG WITH LI/S AROUND -2C. PLAN TO MAINTAIN THE SLIGHT RISK IN SAME AREAS AS ALREADY HIGHLIGHTED. NOT EXPECTING A WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER EVENT...BUT A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE. AS THE LINE CONTINUES INTO AREAS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...INSTABILITY VALUES SHOULD BE TOO MEAGER TO SUPPORT CONTINUED SEVERE WEATHER AS THE BEST MID LEVEL COOLING AND UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS LIFT OUT TO THE NORTHEAST. EXPECT THE LINE TO CONTINUE TO WEAKEN WITH EASTWARD EXTENT. THE FRONT SHOULD DROP SOUTH INTO CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI ON SATURDAY BEFORE STALLING AS THE FRONT BECOMES COMPLETELY DETATCHED FROM THE UPPER SUPPORT. A STRONGER NORTHERN STREAM SHORTWAVE WILL DIVE SOUTHEAST TOWARDS THE MID SOUTH BY SUNDAY MORNING. SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE WILL FORCE THE STALLED FRONT BACK TO THE NORTH AS A WARM FRONT SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY. A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SHOULD DEVELOP AND MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA ON SUNDAY. THERE STILL REMAINS UNCERTAINTY CONCERNING THE NORTHWARD EXTENT AND QUALITY OF A DEVELOPING WARM SECTOR OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI ON SUNDAY. IF A CONVECTIVELY UNDISTURBED WARM SECTOR CAN DEVELOP OVER NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI SUNDAY AFTERNOON...THEN SOME SEVERE WEATHER MAY BE POSSIBLE. THERE STILL REMAINS ENOUGH UNCERTAINTY TO KEEP SEVERE STORM WORDING OUT OF THE HWO AT THIS TIME. A GREATER THREAT OVER THE AREA WILL BE HEAVY RAINFALL. A GENERAL 1-2 INCH RAINFALL...WITH ISOLATED HIGHER AMOUNTS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF THE REGION ON SUNDAY AND THIS MAY RESULT IN ADDITIONAL FLASH FLOODING AND RIVER FLOODING. LATER SHIFTS WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS POTENTIAL. THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST LEAVING A LARGE SCALE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN U.S. FOR THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO BE SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE. UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BUILD BY MID WEEK WITH CONTINUED DRY AND WARMER WEATHER. THE AIRMASS WILL DESTABLIZE AHEAD OF THE NEXT APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK WHICH WILL LEAD TO INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES SHOULD RETURN TO ABOVE AVERAGE LEVELS FOR THE END OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 57 73 55 65 / 90 10 30 80 MKL 56 71 49 66 / 90 10 20 80 JBR 52 71 48 62 / 90 10 30 80 TUP 62 74 55 71 / 90 30 30 80 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1159 AM CDT FRI APR 25 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>092-261900- 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- 1159 AM CDT FRI APR 25 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 THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT OVER THE DELTA OF EASTERN AND NORTHEASTERN ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...FAR WEST TENNESSEE...AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT OVER THE SLIGHT RISK AREA. JLH
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1114 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 ARZ049-058-260445- PHILLIPS AR-LEE AR- 1114 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... LEE COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... NORTHWESTERN PHILLIPS COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 6 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AUBREY AT 1114 PM CDT... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. PEOPLE IN LEE AND PHILLIPS COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF MARIANNA AND MARVELL...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY..
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1116 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 ARZ036-048-TNZ088-260500- ST. FRANCIS AR-CRITTENDEN AR-SHELBY TN- 1116 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... CENTRAL CRITTENDEN COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... EASTERN ST. FRANCIS COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... WESTERN SHELBY COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF NEW HOME AT 1116 PM CDT... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. PEOPLE IN CRITTENDEN...SHELBY AND ST. FRANCIS COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF HUGHES...MARION AND WEST MEMPHIS...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1133 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0839 PM HAIL 2 NE POCAHONTAS 36.28N 90.94W
04/25/2008 E1.75 INCH RANDOLPH AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
0900 PM HAIL COLLEGE CITY 36.13N 90.94W
04/25/2008 E0.88 INCH LAWRENCE AR TRAINED SPOTTER
0905 PM TSTM WND DMG CORNING 36.41N 90.59W
04/25/2008 CLAY AR BROADCAST MEDIA
TREES DOWN ON SECOND STREET IN CORNING
0947 PM HAIL 3 SW PIGGOTT 36.35N 90.24W
04/25/2008 E0.88 INCH CLAY AR TRAINED SPOTTER
0958 PM HAIL JONESBORO 35.82N 90.69W
04/25/2008 E0.75 INCH CRAIGHEAD AR BROADCAST MEDIA
REPORT FROM HILLTOP AREA OF JONESBORO
1025 PM HAIL MANILA 35.88N 90.16W
04/25/2008 E0.88 INCH MISSISSIPPI AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
1114 PM HAIL 1 E SIMSBORO 35.02N 90.37W
04/25/2008 E0.88 INCH CRITTENDEN AR AMATEUR RADIO
&&
ARSSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1141 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 MSZ010>012-260515- PANOLA MS-COAHOMA MS-QUITMAN MS- 1141 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... CENTRAL COAHOMA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... WEST CENTRAL PANOLA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... NORTHERN QUITMAN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 3 MILES SOUTHEAST OF KINGS AT 1141 PM CDT... MOVING EAST AT 43 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. PEOPLE IN COAHOMA...PANOLA AND QUITMAN COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITY OF CLARKSDALE...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 AM CDT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1145 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0839 PM HAIL 2 NE POCAHONTAS 36.28N 90.94W
04/25/2008 E1.75 INCH RANDOLPH AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
0900 PM HAIL COLLEGE CITY 36.13N 90.94W
04/25/2008 E0.88 INCH LAWRENCE AR TRAINED SPOTTER
0905 PM TSTM WND DMG CORNING 36.41N 90.59W
04/25/2008 CLAY AR BROADCAST MEDIA
TREES DOWN ON SECOND STREET IN CORNING
0947 PM HAIL 3 SW PIGGOTT 36.35N 90.24W
04/25/2008 E0.88 INCH CLAY AR TRAINED SPOTTER
0947 PM HAIL PIGGOTT 36.38N 90.20W
04/25/2008 E0.75 INCH CLAY AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
0958 PM HAIL JONESBORO 35.82N 90.69W
04/25/2008 E0.75 INCH CRAIGHEAD AR BROADCAST MEDIA
REPORT FROM HILLTOP AREA OF JONESBORO
1025 PM HAIL MANILA 35.88N 90.16W
04/25/2008 E0.88 INCH MISSISSIPPI AR LAW ENFORCEMENT
1114 PM HAIL 1 E SIMSBORO 35.02N 90.37W
04/25/2008 E0.88 INCH CRITTENDEN AR AMATEUR RADIO
&&
ARSSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1152 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 MSZ001-002-260530- DE SOTO MS-MARSHALL MS- 1152 PM CDT FRI APR 25 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... EAST CENTRAL DESOTO COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... NORTHERN MARSHALL COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LEWISBURG AT 1152 PM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 30 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 DESOTO AND MARSHALL COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITY OF HOLLY SPRINGS...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1230 AM CDT.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 14 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:54 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds blew trees down on Milnor Drive in Raleigh.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, April 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: 98154.