An upper level ridge of high pressure remained over the Mid-South during the middle part of August. The upper ridge of high pressure produced above normal temperatures over the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
An upper level ridge of high pressure remained over the Mid-South during the middle part of August. The upper ridge of high pressure produced above normal temperatures over the area. The combination of high humidity and above normal temperatures produced high heat indices of 105-109 degrees.
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 Aug 16, 5:01 AM CST, 3 hours 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
601 AM CDT MON AUG 16 2010
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 418 AM CDT MON AUG 16 2010/
LOW TO MID 60S DEWPOINTS WERE FILTERING INTO NORTHEAST AR...THE
MO BOOTHEEL AND NORTHWEST TN AT 4 AM. THIS DRIER AIR WAS LAGGING A
LITTLE BEHIND A COLD FRONT THAT WAS AROUND 50 MILES SOUTH AND
ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO I40.
THE DRIER AND SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD INTO
THE MIDSOUTH TODAY...BUT NOT LIKELY TO EXTENT TO AVOID HEAT
INDICES OF 103 TO 108...SOUTH OF A WEST HELENA AR TO TUPELO MS LINE.
A HEAT ADVISORY WILL CONTINUE OVER THESE AREAS. FURTHER NORTH...
THE ADVISORY HAS BEEN CANCELLED....WITH HEAT INDICES LIKELY
TOPPING OUT NEAR 100 IN THE MEMPHIS METRO.
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY DEVELOP IN THE DEEPER MOISTURE
OVER NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL MS TODAY. AREAS TO THE NORTH OF
I40 SHOULD REMAIN PREDOMINATELY DRY.
SURFACE TO MIDLEVEL LOW PRESSURE THAT HAS PERSISTED NEAR THE LA
COAST OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS WILL BEGIN LIFTING WEST IN WEAK
EASTERLY FLOW. THIS SYSTEM WILL REMAIN TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE
MIDSOUTH. ASSOCIATED MOISTURE WILL SPREAD INTO THE MIDSOUTH
TONIGHT AND TUESDAY...IN ADVANCE OF AN OPEN NORTHERN BRANCH UPPER
LEVEL TROF MOVING INTO THE MID MS RIVER VALLEY. CONVECTIVE INHIBITION
SHOULD BE RATHER WEAK ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...
WITH 700MB TEMPS AROUND 9C AND THE RETURN OF WARMER AND MORE HUMID
LOW LEVEL AIRMASS.
BY WEDNESDAY... AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES WILL LIKELY APPROACH HEAT
ADVISORY LEVELS. HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE END
OF THE WORKWEEK...UNDER BRIEF UPPER LEVEL RIDGING.
FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY SHOULD SEE ANOTHER NORTHERN BRANCH TROF
APPROACH...SUPPRESSING THE UPPER RIDGE CLOSER TO THE COAST AND
ENHANCING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES LATE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.
PWB
&&
.AVIATION...
12Z TAF SET
VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVER NEXT 24 HOURS. ISOLD SHRA/TSRA WILL
BE POSSIBLE OVER N MS THIS AFTERNOON THUS WILL CONTINUE WITH VCTS
WORDING AT KTUP. NE WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 8-12 KTS WITH HIGHER
GUSTS BY 15-18Z. SPEEDS WILL DECREASE AFTER SUNSET.
KRM
&&
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MEM 95 73 94 77 / 10 10 20 30
MKL 93 65 93 72 / 10 10 20 30
JBR 92 65 93 72 / 10 10 10 30
TUP 95 72 93 74 / 30 20 30 30
&&
.MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR PHILLIPS.
MO...NONE.
MS...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR CALHOUN-CHICKASAW-
COAHOMA-ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LEE MS-MONROE-PANOLA-PONTOTOC-
QUITMAN-TALLAHATCHIE-YALOBUSHA.
TN...NONE.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 343 AM CDT MON AUG 16 2010 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-171045- 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- 343 AM CDT MON AUG 16 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40 MAY APPROACH SEVERE LIMITS TODAY. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG OUTFLOW WINDS. NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCES OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH EARLY EVENING. A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF WEST HELENA ARKANSAS TO TUPELO MISSISSIPPI LINE. MID AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES WILL LIKELY RANGE FROM 103 TO 108 DEGREES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A FEW STRONG MAINLY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH SATURDAY. AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES MAY REACH OR EXCEED HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA DURING THE MIDDLE AND LATE PERIODS OF THIS WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. PWB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon hours.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, August 2010
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: 255310, 255311, 255312, 255313, 255314, 255315, 255316, 255317, 255318, 255319, 255320, 255321.