An upper level ridge of high pressure remained over the Mid-South during the middle to latter part of August. The upper ridge of high pressure produced above normal temperatures over the area.
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.
An upper level ridge of high pressure remained over the Mid-South during the middle to latter 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 105-115 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 19, 5:45 AM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 645 AM CDT THU AUG 19 2010 .UPDATE... UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION FOR 12Z TAFS. && .DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 258 AM CDT THU AUG 19 2010/ BIG CONTRAST IN TEMPERATURES OCCURRED YESTERDAY ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH AS THE UPPER RIDGE BUILT IN A LITTLE FURTHER EAST THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. THE RIDGE HAS PUSHED THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION FIVE SOUTH OF THE CWA TONIGHT. EXPECT THE RIDGE TO CONTINUE TO BUILD OVER THE CWA TODAY THUS HIGHS IN THE MID 90S WILL LIKELY OCCUR EVERYWHERE. ONLY CAVEAT MAY BE THAT MORNING STRATUS MAY KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM WARMING AS QUICKLY ACROSS THE EAST BUT MODELS INDICATE THAT THE STRATUS DISSIPATE QUICKLY. DEWPOINTS REMAIN HIGH WITH READINGS IN THE MID TO UPPER 70S AT THIS TIME. DEWPOINTS SHOULD MIX OUT SOME TODAY WHICH SHOULD KEEP HEAT INDICES FROM REACHING 105 DEGREES. SINCE TROPICAL DISTURBANCE WILL BE PUSHED FURTHER TO THE SOUTH TODAY...ONLY EXPECT ISOLATED CONVECTION TO DEVELOP IF ANY AT ALL. THUS WILL LOWER POPS ACROSS NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND WEST TENNESSEE. DON/T EXPECT MUCH CHANGE ON FRIDAY. UPPER RIDGE WILL REMAIN OVER THE MIDSOUTH. EASTERN AREAS SHOULDN/T HAVE ANY MORNING STRATUS TO CONTEND WITH SO EXPECT HIGHS WILL AT LEAST REACH IN THE MID 90S...WESTERN AREAS MAY EVEN SEE UPPER 90S. ISOLATED CONVECTION MAY OCCUR AND HEAT ADVISORIES MAY NEED TO BE ISSUED FOR AT LEAST PORTIONS OF THE AREA. SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...RIDGE WEAKENS SLIGHTLY ALLOWING A FRONT TO DRIFT INTO THE CWA. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ON SATURDAY OUT AHEAD OF THE FRONT BUT MAY NEED TO TRIM POPS BACK TO 30S ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA AS 40S MAY BE TOO HIGH. TEMPERATURES WILL BE TRICKY ON SATURDAY AND WILL DEPEND ON HOW MUCH CONVECTION DEVELOPS. AREAS THAT SEE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY SEE HIGHS IN THE MID 90S WHILE AREAS THAT DON/T WILL LIKELY SEE HIGHS IN THE UPPER 90S. FRONT WILL SAG INTO NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...AND NORTHWEST TENNESSEE SATURDAY NIGHT CONTINUING CHANCES FOR RAIN. LOWS WILL BE IN THE 70S. SUNDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...MODEL AGREEMENT FROM YESTERDAY HAS DISAPPEARED AS THE NEW GFS LOOKS LIKE THE ECMWF FROM A FEW DAYS AGO. GFS WANTS TO STALL FRONT OUT OVER NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI OR JUST TO THE SOUTH. THIS WOULD KEEP CHANCES FOR RAIN FOR SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA THROUGH THE REST OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. MEANWHILE...THE 12Z ECMWF MOVES THE FRONT THROUGH THE CWA AND FILTERS DRIER AIR INTO THE AREA. THIS SOLUTION SEEMS LESS LIKELY AS THE RIDGE IS STILL RATHER STRONG. THE NEW 00Z ECMWF IS TRENDING TOWARD THE GFS THUS WILL LEAN TOWARD GFS AND ADD SMALL POPS FOR SOUTHEASTERN AREAS OF THE CWA FOR MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE GFS SOLUTION WOULD ALSO MEAN THAT HIGHER DEWPOINTS WOULD REMAIN AT LEAST ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE CWA. WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO REACH INTO THE UPPER 90S...HEAT INDICES COULD APPROACH 110 DEGREES AGAIN AND AT LEAST HEAT ADVISORIES POSSIBLY EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS MAY BE NEEDED. KRM && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS AT KMEM AND KJBR...VFR CONDITIONS AND LIGHT WINDS ARE MAINLY EXPECTED. BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE AT BOTH SITES AROUND 12Z THIS MORNING AS WELL AS AROUND 12Z FRIDAY MORNING. AT KMKL...LIFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH 13-14Z...THEN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED. WENT OPTIMISTIC BRINGING VFR CONDITIONS IN AROUND 1430Z. HAVE HIGH CONFIDENCE CONDITIONS WILL BE VFR AT THIS SITE BY 17Z. MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY AGAIN AFTER 06Z WITH A SMALL CHANCE OF LIFR CONDITIONS AFTER 09Z. AT KTUP...EXPECT BOUNCING CONDITIONS FROM IFR TO VFR THROUGH 14Z BEFORE BECOMING VFR. HAVE HIGH CONFIDENCE VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL BY 17Z. REMOVED CB MENTION THINKING ANY TSRA DEVELOPMENT WILL BE SOUTH OF THIS SITE. MVFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE AFTER 10Z AND MAY BRIEFLY BE IFR. MBS && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 97 78 98 79 / 10 10 20 10 MKL 94 73 95 74 / 10 10 20 10 JBR 96 74 97 76 / 10 10 20 10 TUP 94 76 96 76 / 20 10 20 10 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 957 AM CDT THU AUG 19 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>092-201200- 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- 957 AM CDT THU AUG 19 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 HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM FOR THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION...MAINLY SOUTH AND WEST OF A LINE FROM JONESBORO TO BLYTHEVILLE TO MEMPHIS TO BATESVILLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY THROUGH SUNDAY WITH GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. AFTERNOON HEAT INDICES MAY REACH OR EXCEED HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MIDSOUTH FROM FRIDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. BORGHOFF
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heat, 2 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon and early evening hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105 and 109 degrees during the afternoon and early evening hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 110 and 115 degrees during the afternoon hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 110 and 115 degrees during the afternoon hours.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, 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: 255511, 255512, 255513, 255514.