An upper level ridge of high pressure intensified over the Mid-South at the end of July producing high heat indices between 105-109 degrees. These conditions continued into the early part of August.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 intensified over the Mid-South at the end of July producing high heat indices between 105-109 degrees. These conditions continued into the early part of August.
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 29, 8:39 AM CST, 2 hours 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 939 AM CDT THU JUL 29 2010 .DISCUSSION... SKIES ARE MOSTLY SUNNY ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING WITH TEMPERATURES MAINLY IN THE 80S. A FEW SHOWERS HAVE DEVELOPED THIS MORNING ACROSS WEST TENNESSEE BUT HAVE GRADUALLY DIMINISHED. COLD FRONT CURRENTLY EXTENDS ACROSS CENTRAL KENTUCKY INTO SOUTHERN MISSOURI AND WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT A FEW MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AS COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE REGION. WILL UPDATE FORECAST TO REMOVE MORNING WORDING BUT NO ADDITIONAL CHANGES ARE NEEDED AT THIS TIME. ARS && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 610 AM CDT THU JUL 29 2010/ DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 421 AM CDT THU JUL 29 2010/ DISCUSSION... SCATTERED TO BROKEN CLOUDS WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH BY LATE MORNING OUT AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. THIS FRONT COMBINED WITH INCREASING INSTABILITY DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING WILL ACT AS A FOCUS FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BY THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...BELIEVE HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL STAY GENERALLY IN THE LOW 90S AREAWIDE WHICH WOULD KEEP THE MIDSOUTH JUST UNDER HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY BE DIURNAL IN NATURE AS THE FRONT WILL BEGIN TO STALL OVER SOUTHERN KENTUCKY BY LATE EVENING. THEREFORE ANY ACTIVITY SHOULD DIMINISH BY THIS TIME. FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THE COLD FRONT STALLS JUST NORTH OF THE REGION AS UPPER RIDGING BEGINS TO BUILD INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST. KEPT POPS OUT OF THE FORECAST FOR FRIDAY AS UPPER RIDGING SHOULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERCOME ANY POTENTIAL DIURNAL ACTIVITY. A WEAK SHORTWAVE WILL TRANSLATE THROUGH THE AREA ON SATURDAY WHICH COULD PROVIDE JUST ENOUGH LIFT TO SPARK AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM OR TWO. WITH THE ABSENCE OF A SHARP FRONTAL PASSAGE...DEWPOINTS IN THE LOW TO MID 70S WILL CONTINUE TO PREVAIL. THIS MEANS THAT HEAT ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40. SUNDAY THROUGH MIDWEEK...VERY HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL BE THE RULE FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST HALF OF NEXT WEEK. MODELS CONTINUE TO INDICATE A 598DM H5 RIDGE SETTLING ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. THIS WILL SEVERELY INHIBIT PRECIPITATION CHANCES AND HEAT ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THROUGH THIS TIME FRAME. SOME AREAS IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION MAY SEE HEAT INDICES APPROACHING 110 DEGREES. MODELS DO HINT AT A COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE AREA BY WEDNESDAY WHICH WOULD BRING MUCH NEEDED RELIEF FROM THE HEAT. THIS MAY BE OPTIMISTIC AS UPPER RIDGING LOOKS TO REMAIN STRONG. CCD AVIATION... 12Z TAF CYCLE (29/12Z-30/12Z) CONDITIONS WILL BE GENERALLY VFR AT THE TAFS SITES THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OUTSIDE OF TSRAS. SCT TSRA ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH DAYTIME HEATING. MENTIONED VCTS BETWEEN 29/19Z-30/02Z AT ALL OF THE TAF SITES. MAY SEE TSRA LINGER A LITTLE LONGER THIS EVENING AT KMKL AND KJBR WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT APPROACHING FROM THE NORTHEAST...ALTHOUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOW. FOR NOW MENTIONED CB AT KMKL AND KJBR 30/02Z-30/04Z. WINDS BECOMING WESTERLY TODAY 7-8 KTS...NW TONIGHT 3 KTS. JCL && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 93 77 96 77 / 30 10 10 10 MKL 91 72 94 72 / 40 10 10 10 JBR 92 72 94 74 / 30 10 10 10 TUP 91 73 96 73 / 40 10 10 10 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 433 AM CDT THU JUL 29 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>092-301145- 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- 433 AM CDT THU JUL 29 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 THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE AREA. GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS WITH ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HEAT INDICES ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE 105 TO 110 DEGREE RANGE FRIDAY THROUGH NEXT WEDNESDAY. HEAT ADVISORIES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED DURING THIS TIME FRAME. ADVISORIES MAY ALSO BE UPGRADED TO EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS IN SOME AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE IN A FEW LOCATIONS THIS AFTERNOON. CCD
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heat. Local standard time, as filed.
Heat index readings ranged between 105-109 degrees during the afternoon and evening hours.
Heat index readings ranged between 105-109 degrees during the afternoon and evening 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, July 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: 250057, 250058.