Tennessee, 2009

Heat in Tennessee, June 17 to 28, 2009

June 17 to 28, 2009 · NWS MEG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A heat wave affected much of the MidSouth during the period between June 17th and June 28th as an upper ridge of high pressure built over the region. High temperatures soared into the mid to upper 90s with a few days topping out at or just above 100 degrees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
9
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MEG wrote it up.

A heat wave affected much of the MidSouth during the period between June 17th and June 28th as an upper ridge of high pressure built over the region. High temperatures soared into the mid to upper 90s with a few days topping out at or just above 100 degrees. Nighttime lows remained in the upper 70s to lower 80s and provided little relief. In addition, high humidity combined with the hot temperatures produced heat index values of 105 degrees or greater during the period. June 23rd was the worst day of the heat wave as heat index values reached over 110 degrees in many locations. A few deaths occurred from the heat.

What forecasters said that day

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, 5:35 PM CST, 18 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 16, 5:35 PM CST, 18 hours 25 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 16, 1:32 PM CST, 22 hours 28 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Shelby

When
June 17, 12:00 PM CST to June 28, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Deaths
7 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
35.184, -89.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures soared into the mid to upper 90s even reaching 100 degrees or more over over a span of eleven days. The combination of the hot temperatures and high humidity allowed heat indices to reach above 105 degrees during the afternoon and early evening hours. Seven deaths occurred from the heat.

Heat, Carroll

When
June 17, 12:00 PM CST to June 28, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Newspaper
Coordinates
35.973, -88.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Temperatures soared into the mid to upper 90s even reaching 100 degrees or more over over a span of eleven days. The combination of the hot temperatures and high humidity allowed heat indices to reach above 105 degrees during the afternoon and early evening hours. Two deaths occurred from the heat.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heat, Shelby2009-06-2076FemalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Shelby2009-06-2553MalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Shelby2009-06-2775FemalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Shelby2009-06-2762MalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Shelby2009-06-2989FemalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Shelby2009-06-2963MalePermanent HomeDirect
Heat, Shelby2009-06-3073FemalePermanent StructureDirect
Heat, Carroll2009-06-1756MaleMobile/Trailer HomeDirect
Heat, Carroll2009-06-2367MalePermanent HomeDirect

What these are

Heat
Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, June 2009

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 184931, 184953.