A cold front moved through the Mid-South during the early morning hours of July 26th, 2009. Showers and thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the front.
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 through the Mid-South during the early morning hours of July 26th, 2009. Showers and thunderstorms developed along and ahead of the front. The showers and storms continued into the morning hours before dying out. Some of the storms became severe producing large hail, damaging winds, and 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 Jul 26, 6:02 AM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 702 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR AVIATION. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 258 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009/ DISCUSSION... ACTIVE WEATHER OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE MIDSOUTH EARLY THIS MORNING. GOES WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWED A STREAMWISE SHORTWAVE EMBEDDED IN NORTHWEST FLOW DIVING SOUTHEAST THROUGH MO. THE UPPER FLOW BECOME STRONGLY DIFFLUENT DOWNSTREAM ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH. STORMS ERUPTED AROUND 05Z OVER NORTHEAST AR IN THE NOSE OF IN INSTABILITY AXIS EXTENDING UP THE AR DELTA. LOWER TO MID 70S SURFACE DEWPOINTS PREVAILED IN THIS REGION. ELEVATED INSTABILITY WAS LIKELY IN EXCESS OF 2500 J/KG... PER SPC MESOANALYSIS. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY...EXPECT A COLD FRONT OVER SOUTHERN MO TO GRADUALLY SETTLE INTO THE MIDSOUTH THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OUT AHEAD OF FRONT... ALONG AN ELEVATED PREFRONTAL TROF. BY MID EVENING...EXPECT POST SHORTWAVE SUBSIDENCE AND SLIGHTLY DRIER LOW LEVEL AIR TO LIMIT RAIN CHANCES NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40. MONDAY SHOULD SEE LOW LEVEL RETURN FLOW GRADUALLY STRENGTHEN OVERTAKING WHAT/S LEFT OF THE STALLED FRONT. EXPECT MONDAY/S CONVECTION TO BE RELATIVELY UNORGANIZED...GIVEN THE LACK OF ANY SIGNIFICANT FORCING. UPPER LEVEL FLOW BECOMES WEST/SOUTHWESTERLY ACROSS THE LOWER MS RIVER VALLEY TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. A SERIES OF EJECTING SHORTWAVES WILL TAP INTO DEEP MOISTURE OVER THE MIDSOUTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. EXPECT A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CLOUDS EACH DAY... WHICH WILL LIKELY LIMIT LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY. WILL CONTINUE WITH 40 TO 50 POPS IN THE MIDWEEK PERIODS. UPPER HEIGHTS WILL LIKELY BUILD LATE IN THE WEEK...BUT THE MIDSOUTH SHOULD STILL REMAIN NEAR THE PERIPHERY OF FASTER NORTHWESTERLY FLOW. CONVECTIVE INHIBITION WILL REMAIN LIMITED...WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 70S...TEMPS NEAR 90...AND THE LIKELY PASSAGE OF SHORTWAVES ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF THE UPPER RIDGE. PWB && .AVIATION... MAIN THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX HAD CLEARED THE KMEM VICINITY AT 12Z... BUT A SMALL CLUSTER 15NM NORTH OF THE TERMINAL WILL LIKELY AFFECT KMEM THROUGH 13Z. THE MAIN COMPLEX WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTH THROUGH NORTH MS...PASSING NEAR AND TO THE WEST OF KTUP AROUND 14Z. SURFACE FRONT WAS LOCATED ALONG THE MO/AR BORDER AT 12Z... EXTENDING NORTHEAST ALONG THE OHIO RIVER. ISOLATED TSRA WILL BE POSSIBLE AHEAD OF THE FRONT WITH DAYTIME HEATING ONCE THE FRONT REACHES THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR. HAVE KEPT A SECONDARY TSRA TEMPO GROUP AT KTUP FOR THE AFTERNOON. GIVEN WEAK/NIL POST FRONTAL WINDS OVERNIGHT...WILL LIKELY SEE SOME RADIATIONAL FOG AFTER 06Z. PWB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 90 71 90 73 / 40 20 20 10 MKL 86 66 89 66 / 40 20 20 10 JBR 88 68 89 70 / 20 10 20 10 TUP 88 69 90 69 / 70 30 20 20 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 746 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-271100- 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- 746 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF A LINE FROM TUNICA TO CORINTH MISSISSIPPI. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS. HEAVY RAIN AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY DURING THE MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THIS WEEK. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...AND A FEW STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LIMITS. THERE WILL BE A POTENTIAL FOR LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY DURING THE MIDWEEK PERIODS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY TODAY...SOUTH OF A WALNUT RIDGE ARKANSAS TO PARIS TENNESSEE LINE. PWB
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
259 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0215 AM FLASH FLOOD CARUTHERSVILLE 36.18N 89.67W
07/26/2009 PEMISCOT MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
MINOR ROAD FLOODING
0255 AM TSTM WND DMG 2 S CARUTHERSVILLE 36.15N 89.67W
07/26/2009 PEMISCOT MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
POWER LINES DOWN AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO RESIDENCES.
&&
RJOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
401 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0215 AM FLASH FLOOD CARUTHERSVILLE 36.18N 89.67W
07/26/2009 PEMISCOT MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
MINOR ROAD FLOODING
0255 AM TSTM WND DMG 2 S CARUTHERSVILLE 36.15N 89.67W
07/26/2009 PEMISCOT MO LAW ENFORCEMENT
POWER LINES DOWN AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO RESIDENCES.
0355 AM HAIL 10 SE DYERSBURG 35.94N 89.25W
07/26/2009 M1.75 INCH DYER TN PUBLIC
GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL REPORTED NEAR TIGRETT
&&
RJOSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 743 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009 MSZ012-013-015-020>022-261330- LAFAYETTE MS-PANOLA MS-PONTOTOC MS-YALOBUSHA MS-TALLAHATCHIE MS- CALHOUN MS- 743 AM CDT SUN JUL 26 2009 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... NORTHWESTERN CALHOUN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... WEST CENTRAL PONTOTOC COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... SOUTHERN LAFAYETTE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... SOUTHEASTERN PANOLA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEASTERN TALLAHATCHIE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... YALOBUSHA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED FROM 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGDALE TO 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF CHARLESTON AT 743 AM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 25 MPH. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE AND NO WARNINGS ARE ANTICIPATED. PEOPLE IN CALHOUN...LAFAYETTE...PANOLA...PONTOTOC...TALLAHATCHIE AND YALOBUSHA COUNTIES...INCLUDING LOCATIONS NEAR CHARLESTON...GEORGE PAYNE STATE PARK AND WATER VALLEY...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT ALSO INCLUDES ENID LAKE.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 150 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:50 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds knocked several trees down on the south side of Charleston.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, July 2009
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: 190384.