An upper level disturbance moving through the Lower Mississippi Valley interacted with a moist and unstable air mass across North Mississippi resulting in showers and thunderstorms. Some storms contained heavy rain and produced flash flooding.
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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.
An upper level disturbance moving through the Lower Mississippi Valley interacted with a moist and unstable air mass across North Mississippi resulting in showers and thunderstorms. Some storms contained heavy rain and produced flash flooding.
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 May 21, 3:28 AM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 428 AM CDT FRI MAY 21 2010 .DISCUSSION... LINGERING CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR TODAY..BUT AFTER TODAY A DRIER AND VERY WARM PATTERN WILL SET IN ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH THAT WILL LAST THROUGH AT LEAST MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. EARLY THIS MORNING...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WAS CENTERED OVER IA WITH AN ASSOCIATED TROUGH STRETCHING SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE MIDSOUTH. AN UPPER LEVEL IMPULSE EMBEDDED IN THE BASE OF THIS TROUGH HELPED TO SPARK THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF EAST- CENTRAL AR AND NORTH MS EARLY THIS MORNING. INSTABILITY IS ELEVATED WITH THESE STORMS WITH MUCAPES BETWEEN 1000 J/KG AND 2000 J/KG...MOST UNSTABLE LIFTED INDICES BETWEEN MINUS 4 AND MINUS 5. CAN NOT RULE OUT OF ONE OR TWO OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVING ONE INCH HAIL EARLY THIS MORNING AS THEY TRACK EAST-NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS NORTH MS AND POSSIBLY INTO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF WEST TN. TRAINING OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS ALSO LED TO SOME HEAVY RAINFALL. OTHERWISE FOR TODAY...A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR MAINLY ALONG THE MS RIVER AND EASTWARD. DRIER AIR WILL GRADUALLY PUSH INTO THE MIDSOUTH FROM THE WEST AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES TO THE EAST. THINK ADDITIONAL SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP EAST OF THE MS RIVER WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE EASTWARD MOVING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH. THINK BY LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON...INSTABILITY WILL INCREASE ENOUGH TO SUPPORT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. HOWEVER...BY THIS TIME THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT WILL BE MAINLY CONFINED TO ALONG THE TN RIVER VALLEY INTO NORTHEAST MS...AND GRADUALLY PUSHING EAST OF OUR FORECAST AREA. FOR TONIGHT...UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BEGIN TO BUILD OVER THE MIDSOUTH. SKIES WILL BECOME MOSTLY CLEAR. WITH LIGHT WINDS...THINK AREAS OF FOG ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY FROM PARTS OF WEST TN INTO NORTH MS. A 500 MB HIGH OF 589 DM WILL BUILD OVER THE NORTHERN GULF SATURDAY AND STRETCH NORTHWARD ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH. SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY SUNNY WITH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING INTO THE MID 80S TO AROUND 90. LITTLE CHANGE IS SEEN IN THIS PATTERN THROUGH MONDAY WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE LOWER 90S AT MOST LOCATIONS. DID NOT GO QUITE AS HIGH AS THE MOS GUIDANCE INDICATES WITH THE VERY WET GROUND...BUT IT WILL BE HOT REGARDLESS AS WE GET OUR FIRST REAL TOUCH OF SUMMER-LIKE WEATHER. BY TUESDAY...THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WEAKENS SLIGHTLY AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PUSHES WESTWARD FROM THE ATLANTIC TO NEAR THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES COAST. WITH UPPER LEVEL HEIGHTS LOWERING A LITTLE ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH...THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK. AN INCREASE IN CLOUDS WILL HELP TO HOLD AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES DOWN A COUPLE OF DEGREES. JCL && .AVIATION... 06Z TAF ISSUANCE RAIN IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OUT OF TAF SITES OVERNIGHT WITH VFR CONDITIONS DROPPING DOWN TO MVFR/IFR BETWEEN 21/09-13Z AS LOW STRATUS DEVELOPS...ESPECIALLY AT MKL/TUP/JBR. THINK ANY POTENTIAL RAIN CHANCES WILL BE LIMITED MAINLY BETWEEN 21/15-18Z. SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 10 KTS AND VEER WEST BY 22/00Z THEN BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE. CJC && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 84 67 90 72 / 20 10 10 0 MKL 81 60 87 65 / 30 10 10 0 JBR 83 61 88 68 / 10 10 10 0 TUP 83 65 90 68 / 60 10 10 0 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 451 AM CDT FRI MAY 21 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>092-221100- 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- 451 AM CDT FRI MAY 21 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 STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREAT ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTH MISSISSIPPI EARLY THIS MORNING. IN ADDITION...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH THESE STORMS MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN ABOUT 11 AM AND 5 PM ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI...GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF A LINE FROM MARTIN TENNESSEE TO JACKSON TENNESSEE TO HOUSTON MISSISSIPPI. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE THE MAIN THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY LATE THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON IN THE SLIGHT RISK AREA. JCL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 429 AM CDT FRI MAY 21 2010 MSZ011-012-020-021-211015- PANOLA MS-QUITMAN MS-YALOBUSHA MS-TALLAHATCHIE MS- 429 AM CDT FRI MAY 21 2010 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 515 AM CDT FOR... SOUTH CENTRAL PANOLA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... SOUTHEASTERN QUITMAN COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEASTERN TALLAHATCHIE COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... NORTHWESTERN YALOBUSHA COUNTY IN NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL OR LARGER WAS LOCATED 4 MILES SOUTH OF CROWDER AT 429 AM CDT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. PEOPLE IN PANOLA...QUITMAN...TALLAHATCHIE AND YALOBUSHA COUNTIES... INCLUDING LOCATIONS NEAR GEORGE PAYNE STATE PARK...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:30 UTC.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Very heavy rain produced flash flooding the the Tupelo area. In Verona two rescue events were reported involving stranded cars. Twelve to eighteen inches of water covered roads in the Palmetto area. Several houses were flooded in Tupleo.
Heavy rain producing flash flooding near Bruce. Highway 32 east was flooded with 8 to 10 inches of water over the roadway.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding across parts of Monroe County. The Amory area was especially hard hit with several roads and homes flooded. The communities of Hatley and Smithville also had roads flooded.
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, May 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: 230764, 230765, 230766.