Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, July 16 to 17, 2010

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Mississippi, July 16 to 17, 2010
Start: 2010-07-16T10:54
End: 2010-07-17T09:30
Location: Mississippi

July 16 to 17, 2010 · NWS MEG · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

A cold front moved into the Mid-South during the morning hours of July 16th, 2010. The front continued to push southeast through the morning hours of July 17th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 cold front moved into the Mid-South during the morning hours of July 16th, 2010. The front continued to push southeast through the morning hours of July 17th. Showers and thunderstorms develop along and ahead of the front. Some storms became severe producing large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding.

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 Jul 16, 10:04 AM CST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 16, 10:04 AM CST, 50 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 16, 3:31 AM CST, 7 hours 23 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
431 AM CDT FRI JUL 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>092-171145-
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-
431 AM CDT FRI JUL 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

SOME STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY...
MAINLY SOUTHEAST OF A UNION CITY TENNESSEE TO MEMPHIS TO MARIANNA
ARKANSAS LINE BETWEEN 10 AM AND 10 PM. DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH
AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL OF A FEW INCHES CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
FLASH FLOODING ARE THE MAIN HAZARDS.

A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT BETWEEN 10 AM AND 8 PM ALONG AND
SOUTH OF A WYNNE ARKANSAS TO MEMPHIS TO SAVANNAH TENNESSEE LINE
WHERE HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL BE 105 TO 109 DEGREES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A FEW STRONG TO PERHAPS SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE
ON SATURDAY MAINLY SOUTH OF A CLARKSDALE TO BOONEVILLE
MISSISSIPPI LINE. GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING
WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS.

ADDITIONAL HEAT ADVISORIES ARE POSSIBLE WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER ON SATURDAY...AND ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA SUNDAY INTO NEXT
WEEK WITH HEAT INDEX READINGS CLIMBING TO BETWEEN 105 AND 109
DEGREES.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED IN A FEW LOCATIONS MAINLY
SOUTHEAST OF A UNION CITY TENNESSEE TO MEMPHIS TO MARIANNA
ARKANSAS LINE BETWEEN 10 AM AND 10 PM TODAY.

MBS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 16, 10:01 AM CST, 53 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 16, 10:13 AM CST, 41 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 16, 10:48 AM CST, 6 minutes before

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The radar

The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Prentiss

When: July 16, 10:54 AM CST to 10:59 AM CST
Where: Prentiss County, 0.94 mi NW of Booneville
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.658, -88.564

A windshield of a police car was damaged by the hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Prentiss

When: July 16, 10:54 AM CST to 10:59 AM CST
Where: Prentiss County, 0.5 mi WNW of Booneville to Booneville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.653, -88.558

Straight line winds knocked down a couple of trees on Cherry Street in Booneville.

Flash Flood, Prentiss

When: July 16, 11:06 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Prentiss County, Booneville to 1.23 mi ENE of Booneville
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.650, -88.550

Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Booneville. Water flooded 2nd Street near the hospital and Industrial Park Road. Keenum Stadium on the Northeast Mississippi Community College campus was also flooded.

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: July 16, 12:00 PM CST to 12:10 PM CST
Where: Monroe County, Hamilton to 2.56 mi ENE of Hamilton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 33.730, -88.450

Straight line winds knocked down a few trees in Hamilton.

Flash Flood, Marshall

When: July 16, 4:00 PM CST to 5:30 PM CST
Where: Marshall County, 0.81 mi SW of Holly Spgs to 0.79 mi N of Holly Spgs
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates: 34.762, -89.460

Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Holly Springs. Several streets were flooded as a result.

Flash Flood, Lee

When: July 16, 5:20 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Lee County, Tupelo to 0.97 mi E of Tupelo
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 34.270, -88.720

Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Tupelo. Several streets were flooded near the library as a result.

Flash Flood, Tate

When: July 17, 7:38 AM CST to 9:30 AM CST
Where: Tate County, 3.14 mi WNW of Senatobia to 2.49 mi NW of Senatobia
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 34.629, -90.004

Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Senatobia. Several streets were flooded as a result. Flood water also entered a few homes in town.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Mississippi in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Mississippi, July 2010

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 247463, 247471, 247475, 247477, 249125, 249128, 249130.