A line of storms from an earlier mesoscale convective system that developed over Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri moved east-southeast and affected northern parts of the Mid-South. Strong wind shear combined with very unstable air to support storms with damaging winds along and just ahead of a squall line.
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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 line of storms from an earlier mesoscale convective system that developed over Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri moved east-southeast and affected northern parts of the Mid-South. Strong wind shear combined with very unstable air to support storms with damaging winds along and just ahead of a squall line.
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 Jun 16, 9:28 AM CST, 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1028 AM CDT TUE JUN 16 2009 .UPDATE... UPDATED TO RAISE THE POPS CONSIDERABLY ACROSS ABOUT THE NORTHERN ONE-THIRD OF THE MID-SOUTH...FROM PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST AR...ACROSS THE MO BOOTHEEL...INTO PORTIONS OF WEST TN. SATELLITE SHOWS WARMING TOPS (WEAKENING) WITH THUNDERSTORM COMPLEXES OVER SOUTHERN MO. HOWEVER...WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY PUSHING INTO NORTHEAST AR. A PUSH OF COOLER AIR AND AN ASSOCIATED OUTFLOW BOUNDARY IS ALSO MOVING INTO NORTHEAST AR. THINK SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD INTO NORTHEAST AR...THE MO BOOTHEEL...AND MUCH OF WEST TN DURING THE DAY. THE ATMOSPHERE IS FORECAST TO BECOME INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE LEADING TO A RESTRENGTHENING OF THE STORMS. LIFTED INDICES WILL DECREASE TO AROUND MINUS 8 WITH SURFACE BASED CAPES BETWEEN 3000 AND 5000 J/KG. VERY MOIST AIR CONTINUES TO FLOW INTO THE REGION WITH SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER AND MID 70S. THINK DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTING ARE ALL POSSIBLE. TO THE SOUTH FROM PORTIONS OF EAST-CENTRAL AR INTO MUCH OF NORTH MS...UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BE STRONGER HELPING TO SUPPRESS MUCH OF THE CONVECTION. TEMPERATURES IN THIS REGION WILL CLIMB INTO THE LOWER AND MID 90S WITH HEAT INDICES REACHING AROUND 100 DEGREES IN SOME SPOTS. JCL && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 630 AM CDT TUE JUN 16 2009/ DISCUSSION...09Z SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES A QUASI-STATIONARY BOUNDARY FROM NORTH/CENTRAL ALABAMA BACK THROUGH NORTH MISSISSIPPI...WEST TENNESSEE AND EAST ARKANSAS. INFRARED SATELLITE/REGIONAL RADAR TRENDS SHOW A MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM OVER PORTIONS OF EAST KANSAS INTO WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI NEAR KANSAS CITY. TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING ACROSS THE MID SOUTH RANGE FROM THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 60S ALONG THE TENNESSEE RIVER AND UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER DELTA. MAIN CONCERN IN THIS MORNING/S FORECAST PACKAGE IS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL ANTICIPATED LATER TODAY. SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT)...A MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM WHICH DEVELOPED OVER KANSAS YESTERDAY EVENING BRIEFLY WEAKENED AS IT MOVED INTO EASTERN MISSOURI DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. HOWEVER...THIS MCS HAS REDEVELOPED ACROSS EASTERN KANSAS OVER THE PAST HOUR OR TWO AND HAS BEEN SHOWING SOME PROPAGATION TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST. BOTH THE NAM/GFS SHORT TERM MODELS INDICATE A SUBTLE SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE MID SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND INTERACTING WITH A VERY WARM AND MOIST UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. LEANED TOWARD THE NAM SOLUTION FOR TODAY BASED ON THE OVERNIGHT CONVECTIVE TRENDS. STEEP 700-500 MB LAYER MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES AT OR ABOVE 7 C/KM...SURFACE BASED CAPE VALUES AT OR ABOVE 3000 J/KG...AND LI/S AROUND -9 INTERACTING WITH THE MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE TROUGH/MCS ACTIVITY SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM MARKED TREE ARKANSAS TO JACKSON AND SAVANNAH TENNESSEE FROM LATE MORNING INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT BECOME SEVERE ARE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. FURTHER SOUTH...CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE MINIMAL AT BEST AS A BUILDING UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SUPPRESSES ANY CONVECTION FROM DEVELOPING. SHORT TERM MODELS INDICATE UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL FINALLY BEGIN TO STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE MID SOUTH WEDNESDAY WITH SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY CONFINED TO NORTHEAST SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY. AS THE SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGING STRENGTHEN...VERY HOT TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 90S ARE EXPECTED WITH HEAT INDICIES APPROACHING 100 DEGREES ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AFTERNOON. LONG RANGE...(FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY)...00Z ECMWF/GFS LONG RANGE MODELS STILL IN AGREEMENT WITH BRINGING ANOTHER COLD FRONT THROUGH THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY AND CONTINUED CHANCE POPS DURING THIS TIME FRAME. SURFACE AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL THEN BUILD BACK IN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. CJC && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF CYCLE VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT ALL TAF SITES AT 11Z. TUP MAY EXPERIENCE MVFR VSBYS THRU 14Z DUE TO PATCHY FOG. A STATIONARY FRONT FROM SOUTHERN MISSOURI INTO WESTERN TENNESSEE WILL ONCE AGAIN BE THE MAIN TRIGGER FOR CONVECTION LATER TODAY. JBR AND MKL WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST PROBABILITY FOR THUNDERSTORMS THRU 17/02Z. OKULSKI && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 93 75 95 76 / 30 10 10 10 MKL 90 71 93 71 / 50 10 10 10 JBR 89 73 95 72 / 70 10 10 10 TUP 93 70 95 71 / 10 10 10 10 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 417 AM CDT TUE JUN 16 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>092-171100- 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- 417 AM CDT TUE JUN 16 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 TODAY MAINLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM MARKED TREE ARKANSAS TO JACKSON AND SAVANNAH TENNESSEE. THE TIME OF GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FROM 11 AM TO 7 PM. THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVIATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST TENNESSEE.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1032 AM CDT TUE JUN 16 2009 ARZ009-MOZ113-161600- CLAY AR-DUNKLIN MO- 1032 AM CDT TUE JUN 16 2009 ...THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS FOR... CLAY COUNTY IN EASTERN ARKANSAS... NORTHEASTERN DUNKLIN COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST MISSOURI... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF MCDOUGAL AT 1032 AM CDT...MOVING EAST AT 40 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 CLAY AND DUNKLIN COUNTIES...INCLUDING LOCATIONS NEAR CAMPBELL...CHALK BLUFF NATURAL AREA...CORNING...MALDEN...PIGGOTT AND RECTOR...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 AM CDT.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 128 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:53 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds knocked down one power pole and ripped the doors off a storage shed just south of Campbell.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, June 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: 184553.