Below normal rainfall during the month of December brought severe (D2) drought conditions back to extreme portions of Northwest Mississippi by the latter part of the month. The biggest impact from the drought were hydrological concerns as many lake and river levels remained at low levels.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Below normal rainfall during the month of December brought severe (D2) drought conditions back to extreme portions of Northwest Mississippi by the latter part of the month. The biggest impact from the drought were hydrological concerns as many lake and river levels remained at low levels. Although some agricultural concerns occurred as well as many pastures were in poor condition forcing farmers to feed livestock with baled hay.
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 28, 5:31 AM CST, 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 531 AM CST TUE DEC 28 2010 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR AVIATION. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 437 AM CST TUE DEC 28 2010/ DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS ON SERIES OF SYSTEMS THIS WEEK. SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE CURRENTLY PARKED OVER THE MIDSOUTH HAS ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO PLUMMET THIS MORNING INTO THE LOWER TEENS NEAR THE TENNESSEE RIVER...BUT LOW TO MID 20S NEAR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND WEST AS A WEAK SOUTHERLY FLOW HAS BEGUN. THE HIGH WILL PUSH SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND THE RETURN FLOW WILL EXPAND ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA FOR THIS AFTERNOON. AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS WILL BEGIN LATE ACROSS THE ARKANSAS DELTA...BUT THE REST OF THE AREA SHOULD BE SUNNY. 925 MB TEMPS AND MOS INDICATE HIGHS TODAY IN THE UPPER 30S IN AREAS WITH LINGERING SNOW IN NORTHWEST TN...TO NEAR 50 ACROSS NORTHERN MS. MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO SURGE NORTHWARD ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE HIGH TONIGHT. LOW CLOUDS WILL QUICKLY EXPAND ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH THIS EVENING. TONGUE OF RICHEST MOISTURE AND STRONGEST ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL BE CONFINED FROM TEXAS TO ARKANSAS AND NORTHWEST TN LATE TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY...WITH NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI EXPERIENCING NEUTRAL LIFT OR EVEN WEAK ISENTROPIC DOWNGLIDE DUE TO MORE INFLUENCE OF ANTICYCLONIC FLOW WITH THE DEPARTING HIGH. THUS...INCREASED POPS LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY ABOUT NORTH OF I-40 AND WEST OF I-55 AND REDUCED THEM TO THE SOUTH AND EAST. STILL LOOKS LIKE A SMALL POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING RAIN MIXING IN AT THE ONSET UP TOWARD THE MO BOOTHEEL...BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW CONSIDERING A STRENGTHENING SOUTHERLY FLOW AND INCREASING CLOUDS WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR MILDER CONDITIONS. STRONGEST ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL WEAKEN WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND EXPAND TO NORTHERN MISS...BUT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE IN AN ALREADY MOIST ATMOSPHERE. MID AND UPPER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO DRY OUT SOME HOWEVER...SO RAIN INTENSITY WILL EASE. MODEL QPF IS WIDESPREAD AND LIGHT LEADING TO HIGH CONFIDENCE IN A WIDESPREAD LIGHT RAIN EVENT WEDNESDAY NIGHT. INCREASED POPS TO CATEGORICAL AND MENTIONED PERIODS OF LIGHT RAIN TO IMPLY SOME PERIODIC BREAKS. MID LEVELS WILL DRY FURTHER BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON...WITH HIGH RH ONLY IN THE LOWER 3 KFT OF THE ATMOSPHERE. THUS...RAIN CHANCES WILL DIMINISH THURSDAY AND SOME SUN MAY ALSO BE SEEN IN SPOTS IF THE INVERSION AROUND 3 KFT CAN MIX A BIT. THURSDAY WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF A STRONG WARMING TREND AS LOW PRESSURE ORGANIZES OVER SOUTHWEST KANSAS. BY THURSDAY NIGHT...THE ENTIRE MIDSOUTH SHOULD BE SOUTH OF A NORTHWARD ADVANCING WARM FRONT WITH GUSTY WINDS AND RISING TEMPERATURES. WITH LITTLE LIFT AVAILABLE UNTIL THE COLD FRONT APPROACHES LATE...RAIN CHANCES SHOULD BE LOWEST DURING THIS PERIOD. DEW POINTS RISING TOWARD 60F LATE THURSDAY NIGHT SHOULD PROVIDE FOR MODEST ELEVATED INSTABILITY SO INTRODUCED THUNDER MENTION. LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. MODELS HAVE FINALLY BEGUN TO REACH A GENERAL COMPROMISE FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK FROM EASTERN KANSAS NORTH TO NORTHERN WISCONSIN BY FRIDAY EVENING. COLD FRONT WILL PUSH EAST AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD ALONG THE FRONT FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING. FORECAST SOUNDINGS ARE NOW HINTING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF SURFACE BASED STORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT FRIDAY. TIMING IS EVERYTHING AND MODELS SHOW THE FRONT ALONG THE MS RIVER BY 6 PM FRIDAY. THIS IS A SOMEWHAT OMINOUS TREND GIVEN HOW STRONG THE WIND FIELDS ARE. THE DEGREE OF SEVERE AND HOW WIDESPREAD IT WILL BE IS PREDICATED ON THE QUALITY OF WARM SECTOR AIR AND THE TIMING OF THE FRONT. AT THIS POINT HOWEVER IT APPEARS THE SEVERE WEATHER RISK IS INCREASING. BUMPED UP HIGHS FRIDAY INTO THE MID 60S TO LOWER 70S WITH THE LOOK OF A BETTER MIXED BOUNDARY LAYER. MODELS DIFFER ON TIMING THE FRONT OUT OF THE MIDSOUTH...BUT GIVEN THE POSITIVELY TILTED NATURE OF THE TROUGH...FELT THE SLOWER ECMWF SOLUTION WAS PROBABLY BEST. MUCH COLDER AIR AND CLEARING SKIES CAN BE ANTICIPATED BEHIND THE FRONT INTO THE FIRST DAYS OF 2011. BORGHOFF && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS FEW AVIATION WEATHER CONCERNS IN THE SHORT TERM...WITH VFR PREVAILING. GOES IR IMAGERY AND METARS SHOWED A VFR DECK NEAR FL045 OVER THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF AR... WITH AN UNDERLYING MVFR DECK AROUND FL025 OVER THE ARKLATEX. OVER THE MIDSOUTH...THE LAYER BETWEEN FL025 AND FL070 WAS EXTREMELY DRY. NAM AND GFS MOISTURE PROGS SUGGEST THE LOWER DECKS WILL HAVE LITTLE SUCCESS MAKING IT INTO THE MIDSOUTH UNTIL THIS EVENING. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR... BUT SEE LITTLE REASON TO OVERRIDE MODEL CONSENSUS AT THIS TIME. MVFR AND ISOLATED IFR MAY EDGE INTO EASTERN AR AFTER 09Z/29... WITH THE APPROACH OF THE LOW LEVEL GULF MOISTURE. SOUTH WIND TAIL COMPONENT SHOULD REMAIN BELOW 7 KTS FOR THE LATE EVENING KMEM ARRIVAL PUSH. PWB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 49 37 50 46 / 0 40 90 80 MKL 43 30 47 41 / 0 10 80 80 JBR 44 33 44 42 / 0 60 90 80 TUP 47 30 54 41 / 0 10 50 80 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 503 AM CST TUE DEC 28 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>092-291315- 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- 503 AM CST TUE DEC 28 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT RAIN WILL DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT ALONG AND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE SOME OF THE RAIN MAY BE MIXED WITH FREEZING RAIN...MAINLY NORTH OF A LINE FROM CORNING ARKANSAS TO DYERSBURG TENNESSEE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A MAJOR PATTERN CHANGE IS ANTICIPATED LATER THIS WEEK AS A POWERFUL STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. THIS SHOULD ALLOW FOR A RAPID WARM UP AND INCREASING HUMIDITY BY THE END OF THE WEEK. AS THE SYSTEM TRACKS INTO THE MIDWEST...A TRAILING COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE MIDSOUTH FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING BRINGING A RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE ENTIRE MIDSOUTH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTERS...EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS REGARDING THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER LATER THIS WEEK. BORGHOFF
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe (D2) drought conditions returned to the area.
Severe (D2) drought conditions returned to the area.
Severe (D2) drought conditions returned to the area.
Severe (D2) drought conditions returned to the area.
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, December 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: 273668, 273669, 273670, 273671.