A cold front moved through the Midsouth during the day on December 24th, 2008. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed out ahead of the front.
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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 through the Midsouth during the day on December 24th, 2008. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed out ahead of the front. Some of the thunderstorms produced flash flooding.
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 Dec 24, 12:11 PM CST, 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1211 PM CST WED DEC 24 2008 .DISCUSSION... UPDATED FOR 18Z TAFS && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 951 AM CST WED DEC 24 2008/ UPDATE... ADJUSTED TEMPERATURES AND POPS BASED ON CURRENT TRENDS. LOWERED POPS ACROSS NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AS THE BULK OF THE RAIN HAS ALREADY MOVED EAST OF THIS AREA. DISCUSSION... LINE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO MOVE SLOWLY EAST ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH THIS MORNING. A COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY SITUATED JUST WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA AND WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS THE AREA THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE POSSIBILITY OF FLOODING WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED AS THIS LINE MOVES SLOWLY ACROSS ALREADY SATURATED GROUND. THE THREAT FOR STRONG TO PERHAPS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LOOKS TO BE MAINLY CONFINED ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR CLOSELY. ONCE THE COLD FRONT PASSES...EXPECT COOLER TEMPERATURES AND WINDS TO TURN TO THE NORTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. KNS PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 457 AM CST WED DEC 24 2008/ DISCUSSION...10Z SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES A COLD FRONT FROM WISCONSIN BACK THROUGH NORTHEAST/SOUTHWEST MISSOURI AND THEN INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. ACROSS THE MID SOUTH...WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE PRESENT ACROSS MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AREAS WEST OF A LINE KENNETT TO JONESBORO WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL MAINLY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. FORECAST CHALLENGE IN THE SHORT TERM IS PRECIPITATION TRENDS AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL ON SATURDAY. SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT)...COLD FRONT CURRENTLY LOCATED NORTH AND WEST OF THE MID SOUTH WILL BEGIN TO MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...A WARM CONVEYOR BELT WILL BRING PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE FORECAST AREA WITH RAIN CHANCES BEGINNING TO TAPER OFF TOWARDS EARLY EVENING ACROSS AREAS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND RAIN CHANCES AFTER MIDNIGHT LIMITED TO PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI. MOST UNSTABLE CAPE VALUES APPROACHING 1000 J/KG...AND MARGINALLY FAVORABLE UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE MAY RESULT IN A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO POSSIBLY BECOMING STRONG ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI TODAY. COLD FRONT WILL STALL OUT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF THE MID SOUTH ON CHRISTMAS DAY BRINGING DRY WEATHER AS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE FORECAST AREA. THIS DRY PERIOD WILL NOT LAST LONG AS THE FRONT BEGINS TO MOVE BACK NORTH AS A WARM FRONT BY THURSDAY NIGHT...RESULTING IN SHOWERS AND PERHAPS A FEW ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS. CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT AS A WARM AND MOIST...UNSTABLE AIRMASS REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY WILL RANGE FROM THE UPPER 60S NORTH TO THE LOWER 70S SOUTH. LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)...00Z LONG RANGE MODELS CONTINUING TO CONVERGE ON A POTENTIAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OUTBREAK ON SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. FAVORABLE UNIDIRECTIONAL WINDS ALOFT...STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET DYNAMICS...MOST UNSTABLE CAPE VALUES AROUND 1000 J/KG...AND 0-1 STORM RELATIVE HELICITY VALUES AROUND 300 M2/S2 SUGGEST CONVECTIVE MODE WILL PRIMARILY BE IN THE FORM OF A BROKEN SQUALL LINE WITH A TORNADO THREAT CONTAINED WITHIN THE LINE SEGMENTS. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WOULD ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT BECOME SEVERE. LATER SHIFTS WILL RE-EVALUATE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL AND MAKE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS TO FORECAST AND POSSIBLE THREATS AS THIS POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER EVENT DRAWS CLOSER. STAY TUNED... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST SATURDAY NIGHT WITH HIGH PRESSURE BRINGING DRY WEATHER TO THE MID SOUTH FOR SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL AVERAGE NEAR NORMAL TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS UPPER LEVEL PATTERN BECOMES NEARLY ZONAL NEXT WEEK. CJC && .AVIATION... LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH HAS BEGUN TO BREAK UP THROUGH THE LATE MORNING AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. GUSTY WINDS REMAIN AT KJBR...KMEM...AND KMKL AT 18Z BUT SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH THROUGH OOZ WITH VFR CIGS RETURNING. KTUP SHOULD SEE IFR CIGS THROUGH 20Z AS LINE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS PUSH THROUGH THE AREA. KEPT THUNDER IN TAF EVEN THOUGH CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING HAS BEGUN TO DIMINISH ACROSS NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI. PRECIPITATION SHOULD LINGER THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH VFR CIGS RETURNING AROUND 03Z. CCD && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 67 37 53 51 / 100 0 10 50 MKL 65 32 52 47 / 100 10 10 50 JBR 60 31 50 46 / 50 0 10 50 TUP 68 41 54 50 / 100 30 10 50 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 508 AM CST WED DEC 24 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>092-251200- 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- 508 AM CST WED DEC 24 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO MAY BECOME STRONG ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON WITH STRONG WINDS AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL AS THE THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE MID SOUTH. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND TORNADOES MAY BE POSSIBLE SATURDAY WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT BECOME SEVERE. STAY TUNED TO LATER FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS AS THIS POTENTIAL EVENT DRAWS CLOSER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BECOME NECESSARY IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS ON SATURDAY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 729 AM CST WED DEC 24 2008 ARZ027-241345- POINSETT AR- 729 AM CST WED DEC 24 2008 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... EASTERN POINSETT COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 10 MILES WEST OF MARKED TREE AT 729 AM CST...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS SHOWING WEAK ROTATION AND IS BEING MONITORED. PEOPLE IN POINSETT COUNTY...INCLUDING LOCATIONS NEAR LEPANTO...MARKED TREE AND TYRONZA...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 745 AM CST.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding outside of Parsons. Bible Hill Road was flooded as a result.
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, December 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: 145235.