A stationary front moved northward as a warm front during the daytime on December 8th, 2009. As the front moved north, an area of low pressure developed along 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 stationary front moved northward as a warm front during the daytime on December 8th, 2009. As the front moved north, an area of low pressure developed along the front. The low pressure brought several periods of heavy rain to West Tennessee. Flash flooding occurred as a result of the heavy rain.
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 8, 6:03 AM CST, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 603 AM CST TUE DEC 8 2009 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR AVIATION. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 522 AM CST TUE DEC 8 2009/ DISCUSSION...SURFACE ANALYSIS THIS MORNING PLACES A QUASI- STATIONARY BOUNDARY ALONG THE GULF COAST WHILE A STRONG AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED ACROSS THE ROCKIES. ACROSS THE MID SOUTH...RAIN WAS INCREASING IN COVERAGE ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY WITH TEMPERATURES AS OF 4 AM CST IN THE UPPER 30S NEAR THE MO/KY STATE LINE AND LOWER TO MIDDLE 40S SOUTH. SEVERAL CONCERNS IN THIS FORECAST PACKAGE INCLUDE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL TODAY...WIND ADVISORY POTENTIAL TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AND WINTER WEATHER POTENTIAL FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT)...QUASI-STATIONARY BOUNDARY LOCATED ALONG THE GULF COAST THIS MORNING WILL BEGIN TO LIFT NORTH AS A WARM FRONT AS A DEEPENING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OF THE ROCKIES BEGINS TO MOVE INTO KANSAS TODAY AND INTO MISSOURI BY TONIGHT. THIS WILL BRING A TRAILING COLD FRONT THROUGH THE MID SOUTH TONIGHT. SEVERAL PERIODS OF RAIN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY SOUTH OF I-40 THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. DESPITE FAVORABLE DIRECTIONAL SHEAR...SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY REMAINS A BIG QUESTION MARK AT THIS POINT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT. AFTER ANALYSIS OF SHORT TERM MODEL SOUNDINGS...THINK 00Z WRF SOLUTION IS HANDLING OVERALL INSTABILITY BETTER THAN GFS AS ANY INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ELEVATED WITH LITTLE TO NO SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY. AT THIS POINT...ANTICIPATING A LINE OF SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND SPREAD ACROSS THE MID SOUTH THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. DESPITE STRONG WINDS ALOFT...MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE A LOW LEVEL INVERSION PRESENT THROUGH TONIGHT WHICH SHOULD HELP TO KEEP STRONGER WINDS MIXING DOWN TO THE SURFACE. AS A RESULT...WILL MENTION THE POTENTIAL FOR A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OR TWO WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO COME TO AN END ACROSS THE MID SOUTH OVERNIGHT. ALSO DECIDED NOT TO ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH AS SOMEWHAT FAVORABLE PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES LATER TODAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE SHORT IN DURATION WITH THE FAST MOVING CONVECTION. A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW MAY NECESSITATE THE NEED FOR A WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AS 925 MB WINDS AROUND 40 KTS MAY TRY TO MIX DOWN TOWARDS THE SURFACE. WILL MENTION WIND ADVISORY POTENTIAL IN HWO FOR TONIGHT/WEDNESDAY AND LET DAY SHIFT FURTHER ANALYZE WIND POTENTIAL AS 12Z MODEL DATA ARRIVES. COLDER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS A COLD ARCTIC AIRMASS SETTLES INTO THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. TEMPERATURES WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT WILL FALL BACK INTO THE 20S AT MOST LOCATIONS. LONG TERM...(FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY)...00Z GFS/ECMWF LONG RANGE MODELS INDICATE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES ALONG THE GULF COAST. OVERRUNNING PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE MID SOUTH FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND REMAIN AS RAIN DURING THE DAY. AS TEMPERATURES DROP FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING...MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE PRECIPITATION TYPE ISSUES WILL BECOME A CONCERN ACROSS THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE FORECAST AREA. ALTHOUGH ITS STILL TOO EARLY TO ASSESS EXACT WINTER PRECIPITATION TYPE...FIRST INDICATION IS THAT FREEZING RAIN WILL BE THE MOST LIKELY TO OCCUR DUE TO A SIGNIFICANT WARM LAYER PRESENT. WILL MENTION WINTER WEATHER POTENTIAL IN HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. LATER SHIFTS WILL FURTHER REFINE FORECAST AND ADJUST AS NEEDED AS THIS POTENTIAL WINTER WEATHER EVENT DRAWS CLOSER. BEYOND SATURDAY...LONG RANGE MODELS DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY IN TIMING WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK AND KEPT LOW END POPS GOING IN THE LATTER HALF OF THE LONG RANGE FORECAST. CJC && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND IFR TO PREVAIL ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH FOR MUCH OF TODAY. AN ELEVATED UNSTABLE LAYER WILL OVERRIDES STABLE AIR IN THE LOWEST 3 KFT...PRODUCING ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH MS. COVERAGE SHOULD SUFFICIENTLY LIMITED FOR A CB MENTION AT KMEM. KTUP WILL LIKELY SEE AN ELEVATED LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVE THROUGH IN THE 00Z TO 02Z TIME FRAME. KMEM LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE CROSSWIND GUSTS TO 30KTS ACROSS THE N/S RUNWAYS FOR THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT PUSHES...AS A POWERFUL UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM PASSES JUST OFF TO THE NORTH...INTO THE UPPER MIDWEST. PWB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 59 43 46 23 / 100 80 10 10 MKL 55 40 45 22 / 100 80 10 10 JBR 52 35 40 21 / 100 60 10 10 TUP 62 49 53 27 / 100 90 10 10 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 533 AM CST TUE DEC 8 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>092-091100- 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- 533 AM CST TUE DEC 8 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OR TWO PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH AND LOCALIZED FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT AS A STRONG COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE MID SOUTH. A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT AS SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASE TO 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS THE MID SOUTH WEDNESDAY MORNING AS WEST WINDS 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. WINTER PRECIPITATION IS ALSO POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM HUNTINGDON TENNESSEE TO JONESBORO ARKANSAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 146 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:02 UTC.
5 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain produced ponding of water on Highway 412 outside of Lexington. A car hydroplaned due to the ponding of water near the intersection of McCall Road. Four occupants of the vehicle was injured as a result of the accident.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in and around Henderson. Numerous streets and roads were flooded as a result.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding between Bolivar and Middleton. Highway 18 North near the Hatchie River and Highway 125 South near Hannis Road were closed due to high water.
Heavy rain produce flash flooding around the Northern and Eastern portions of Shelby County. Numerous roads were closed as a result including Brunswick Road, the intersection of Walnut Grove Road and Rock Creek, the intersection of Humphrey and Houston Levee Roads, and Macon Road east of Pisgah.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding just west of Mason. Highway 70 was closed as a result.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding all around Decatur County. Numerous roads were closed due to high water including Pugh Road, Fairgrounds Road, and Gibson Road. In addition, Maxwell Street in Parsons was closed as well.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, December 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: 207890, 206400, 206402, 206403, 206405, 206406.