A subtle upper level disturbance combined with a very unstable air mass to produce numerous showers and thunderstorms across the Mid South on May 24th, 2010. As convection developed throughout the day outflow boundaries were created that resulted in additional development until nearly all of the Mid South experienced at least some precipitation by sunset.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
A subtle upper level disturbance combined with a very unstable air mass to produce numerous showers and thunderstorms across the Mid South on May 24th, 2010. As convection developed throughout the day outflow boundaries were created that resulted in additional development until nearly all of the Mid South experienced at least some precipitation by sunset. After sunset the storms dissipated. Some of the storms were severe with large hail, damaging winds and 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 24, 5:39 AM CST, 2 hours 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 639 AM CDT MON MAY 24 2010 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR AVIATION. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 408 AM CDT MON MAY 24 2010/ DISCUSSION... IT WAS ANOTHER WARM AND HUMID EARLY MORNING ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH. SKIES WERE CLEAR. SOME FOG HAD FORMED WITH LIGHT WINDS...BUT DO NOT THINK THE FOG WILL BECOME A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM THIS MORNING. AN UNSEASONABLY HOT DAY CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH TODAY. THINK THIS WILL LIKELY BE THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE WEEK. WITH LIGHT LOW LEVEL WINDS AND LIMITED MIXING...THINK TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE LOWER AND MID 90S. HEAT INDEX READINGS WILL EVEN CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 90S FROM MEMPHIS SOUTHWESTWARD. AFTERNOON HIGHS WILL BE ABOUT 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR AND MAY APPROACH RECORD HIGHS IN SOME LOCATIONS INCLUDING MEMPHIS. THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE REGION WILL WEAKEN JUST SLIGHTLY TODAY ALLOWING FOR A LITTLE BETTER COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...HAVE POPS RANGING FROM 30 PERCENT IMMEDIATELY ALONG THE TN RIVER TO 20 PERCENT ELSEWHERE. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME VERY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO THE HEAT WITH SBCAPES CLIMBING TO BETWEEN 3000 AND 4000 J/KG THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND. ONLY SUBTLE CHANGES IN THIS WEATHER PATTER CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH THURSDAY. WILL CONTINUE WITH A 20 TO 30 PERCENT CHANCE OF MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY. 850 MB TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO COOL JUST SLIGHTLY WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS IN THE UPPER 80S AND LOWER 90S...STILL ABOVE NORMAL. A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH DAYTIME HEATING. CONFIDENCE DECREASES IN THE FORECAST FOR FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND. THE GFS INDICATES A BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL PUSH THROUGH THE MIDSOUTH FRIDAY WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...THEN A COOLER...DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MASS WILL SPREAD OVER THE REGION FOR AT LEAST THE BEGINNING OF THE WEEKEND. THE ECMWF SEEMS TO ALSO INDICATE THIS SCENARIO TO SOME EXTENT BUT IS MUCH WEAKER WITH THE FRONT. FOR NOW KEPT THE WEEKEND DRY WITH SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPERATURES...BUT DID NOT GO QUITE AS LOW AS SHOWN BY THE MEX MOS. JCL && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS SIMILAR WEATHER TO YESTERDAY... CLEAR MORNING SKIES AND ISOLATED PATCHY LIFR FOG SHOULD GIVE WAY TO AREAWIDE VFR AND SCATTERED CUMULUS BY MIDMORNING. A FEW AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH THE TN RIVER VALLEY LIKELY SEEING BEST CHANCES. COVERAGE STILL TOO LIMITED TO TEMPO A TSRA MENTION. HAVE CHOSEN TO HANDLE WITH A BKN CB GROUP AT THIS TIME. PWB && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 93 74 90 72 / 20 20 30 20 MKL 92 67 89 66 / 20 20 30 20 JBR 92 68 90 68 / 20 20 30 20 TUP 93 70 90 68 / 20 20 30 20 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 414 AM CDT MON MAY 24 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>092-251100- 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- 414 AM CDT MON MAY 24 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 SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH DAYTIME HEATING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE EACH DAY TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH DAYTIME HEATING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. JCL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 901 AM CDT MON MAY 24 2010 TNZ020-021-052-054-241430- CARROLL TN-GIBSON TN-HENDERSON TN-MADISON TN- 901 AM CDT MON MAY 24 2010 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 930 AM CDT FOR... SOUTHERN CARROLL COUNTY IN NORTHWEST TENNESSEE... SOUTHEASTERN GIBSON COUNTY IN NORTHWEST TENNESSEE... NORTHERN HENDERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE... NORTHEASTERN MADISON COUNTY IN SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL OR LARGER AND WINDS AT LEAST 40 MPH WAS LOCATED 7 MILES NORTH OF BARGERTON AT 901 AM CDT. THE STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. PEOPLE IN CARROLL...GIBSON...HENDERSON AND MADISON COUNTIES... INCLUDING LOCATIONS NEAR LEXINGTON...MILAN...NATCHEZ TRACE STATE FOREST AND NATCHEZ TRACE STATE PARK...SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT ALSO INCLUDES BEECH LAKE AND PIN OAK LAKE.
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 137 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:28 UTC.
10 hail, 7 flash flood, 5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Clarksburg. Highway 220 was flooded just west of town.
Straight line winds knocked down power lines in downtown Martin. A building partially collapsed as well.
A trained spotter reported a 59 mph gust just east of Union City. Several trees were knocked down by straight line winds in the Union City area.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Martin. Several streets were flooded.
Public reported golf ball size hail at Germantown Parkway and Trinity Road in Cordova.
Public reported quarter size hail at Germantown Parkway and Cordova Road in Cordova.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding across parts of Northern Shelby County. Fite Road at Highway 51 was flooded.
Nickel size hail fell on Goodlett Farms Parkway between Whitten Road and Appling Road.
Nicked size hail fell at the National Weather Service office at the Agricenter International complex near Walnut Grove Road and Germantown Parkway.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding across parts of Shelby County. The intersection of Raleigh Lagrange and Dexter Road was flooded. The parking lots and breezeways were flooded at the Greenbrook Apartments on Macon Road. Street flooding also occurred on Appling Road near the Bellevue Baptist Church.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding just south of Millington. Greenlawn Cove was flooded and garbage cans were floating in the street.
Penny size hail fell near the Carriage Crossing shopping center just west of Collierville.
Straight line winds blew a 18 wheel truck off Interstate 155 just west of Dyersburg. Large highway signs were also blown over between mile markers 2 and 3.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding just south of Bartlett. The intersection of Whitten Road and Hillshire Circle was flooded and completely closed.
A 60 mph wind gust was measured at the Savannah AWOS. Trees and power lines were knocked down across Hardin County including Savannah, Pickwick, Walkertown, Childers Hill and Olivehill. Minor shingle damage was also reported throughout the county. A tree fell on a house on Country Club Road.
Straight line winds knocked down trees in Henderson.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Chester County. Numerous roads were flooded.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, 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: 231558, 231560, 231562, 231580, 231581, 231582, 231813, 231814, 231815, 231816, 231817, 231819, 231821, 231822, 231823, 231827, 231834, 231842, 231851, 231886, 231895, 231898.