An upper level disturbance moved through the region and interacted with an old convective outflow boundary across Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas. As a result a line of thunderstorms developed and moved across the northern half of the Mid South during the late afternoon and early evening hours of May 23rd.
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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 moved through the region and interacted with an old convective outflow boundary across Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas. As a result a line of thunderstorms developed and moved across the northern half of the Mid South during the late afternoon and early evening hours of May 23rd. Some storms were severe and produced damaging winds.
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 23, 12:22 PM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 122 PM CDT MON MAY 23 2011 .UPDATE... UPDATE FOR 18Z TAF CYCLE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1130 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011/ UPDATE... UPDATE TO RAISE POPS ACROSS NORTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF THE FORECAST AREA. DISCUSSION... THE ATMOSPHERE CONTINUES TO RECOVER THIS MORNING AS STABILIZATION ASSOCIATED WITH COLD POOL FROM LAST NIGHTS STORMS CONTINUES TO ERODE FROM THE SOUTH. THE LOWER LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO DESTABILIZE AS UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S DEWPOINTS ADVECT BACK TO THE NORTH AND OVERSPREAD THE ENTIRE MID SOUTH BY EARLY AFTERNOON. THIS INCREASED LOW LEVEL MOISTURE COMBINED WITH INCREASING AMOUNTS OF SURFACE HEATING...WITH INCREASING SUN/BREAKS IN CLOUDS SHOULD ALLOW SBCAPES TO RISE TO BETWEEN 2500-3500 J/KG...WITH LI/S BETWEEN -6C AND -8C...AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES GREATER THAN 7.5 C/KM. THIS STRONG INSTABILITY WILL COMBINE WITH INCREASING DEEP LAYER SHEAR IN EXCESS OF 50 KTS DEVELOPING ALONG THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY OF AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER THE GREAT LAKES REGION TO SUPPORT ORGANIZED SEVERE STORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE MID SOUTH LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THIS SHOULD BE FORCED BY AN APPROACHING MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE/MID LEVEL COOLING NOW EVIDENT ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY OVER NORTHEAST TEXAS LATE THIS MORNING THAT SHOULD MOVE NORTHEAST INTO THE MID SOUTH BY LATER THIS AFTERNOON. OVERALL...IT APPEARS THAT A RATHER ACTIVE WEATHER DAY IS IN STORE WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS OVER AT LEAST THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE REGION. IT APPEARS THAT FAR SOUTHERN AREAS MAY REMAIN CAPPED TO CONVECTION AS STRONGER INVERSION BASED BETWEEN 850MB AND 700MB...AS EVIDENT ON 12Z JAN SOUNDING...INHIBITS CONVECTION. ELSEWHERE...CAPPING INVERSION IS WEAKER...AS SEEN FROM 12Z LZK SOUNDING...AND THE MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO ERODE AWAY ANY RESIDUAL CAPPING BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE PRIMARY SEVERE SEVERE WEATHER THREATS SHOULD REMAIN DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. A FEW TORNADOES CANNOT BE RULED OUT EITHER AS 0-1 KM SRH RANGE FROM 200-300 M2/S2 AND LCL HEIGHTS REMAIN LOW. ALTHOUGH TORNADOES SHOULD NOT BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS AS LOW LEVEL VEERING NOT OVERLY IMPRESSIVE PER LATEST KNQA/KLZK VAD WIND PROFILES. THE PRIMARY SEVERE THREATS SHOULD OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN ASSOCIATION WITH PRIMARY SHORTWAVE TROUGH. UPDATED ZONES AND GRIDS WILL BE OUT SHORTLY. JLH PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 401 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011/ DISCUSSION... MCS WAS IN THE DECAYING STAGES NORTH OF I40 AT DISCUSSION TIME. THIS FEATURE LAID DOWN AN OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT HAD MOVED AS FAR SOUTH AS NORTH MS. WILL EXPIRE THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH EARLY FOR NORTHEAST AR. AN INITIALLY WORKED OVER ATMOSPHERE SHOULD GRADUALLY RECOVER TODAY...WITH A SUFFICIENTLY STRONG LOW LEVEL PRESSURE GRADIENT TO DRIVE THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY NORTH. WHERE THE BOUNDARY ENDS UP BY MIDAFTERNOON IS NOT ENTIRELY CLEAR. SHORT TERM FORECAST MODELS ARE OF LITTLE HELP HERE. SYNOPTICALLY... THE 06Z NAM BRINGS A LOW AMPLITUDE SHORTWAVE INTO THE OZARKS THIS AFTERNOON. THIS SHOULD HELP STORMS FIRE OVER THE WEAKLY CAPPED HIGHER TERRAIN. ONCE STORMS DEVELOP OVER THE EASTERN OK/AR/SOUTHERN MO...THEY SHOULD CONTINUE EAST. AS WAS THE CASE SUNDAY EVENING... A SOUTHWARD PROPAGATION WILL BE POSSIBLE IF A COLD POOL CAN BE ESTABLISHED... RESULTING IN STORMS ENTERING NORTHEAST AR. OVERALL... FEW CHANGES FROM EARLIER FORECASTS. BEST RAIN CHANCES WILL OCCUR NORTH OF I40 TODAY... WITH ISOLATED CONDITIONAL SEVERE THREAT POSSIBLE AS FAR SOUTH AS FAR NORTHERN MS. TUESDAY MAY SEE BETTER STORM CHANCES DURING THE MORNING...BEFORE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE DEVELOPMENT PUSHES THE MAIN STORM TRACK TOO FAR NORTH INTO CENTRAL MO. THIS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING WILL BE SHORT LIVED AND OCCUR IN ADVANCE OF A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL LOW THAT WILL MOVE INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY WEDNESDAY MORNING. WITH MODERATE LOW LEVEL INSTABILITY AND STRONG UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE...THE MIDSOUTH WILL SEE AN ENHANCED SEVERE WEATHER CHANCES... LIKELY PEAKING WEDNESDAY EVENING INTO EARLY MORNING THURSDAY. AT THIS EARLY TIME...A FEW DISCRETE SUPERCELLS APPEAR POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...FOLLOWED BY A FRONTAL/LINEAR MCS WEDNESDAY NIGHT. YESTERDAY/S 12Z GFS/ECMWF RUNS DEPARTED FROM EARLIER SOLUTIONS WITH RESPECT TO A CLOSED UPPER LOW DEVELOPMENT OVER THE APPALACHIANS THIS WEEKEND. LATEST SOLUTIONS FROM BOTH MODELS NOW TAKE A MUCH WEAKER OPEN WAVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES... WHILE DEVELOPING A HIGH AMPLITUDE UPPER RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. DURING THE WEEKEND. THIS WOULD RESULT IN WARMER...DRIER AND MORE SUMMERLIKE CONDITIONS FOR THE MIDSOUTH OVER THE MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY...LASTING INTO AT LEAST THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. PWB && .AVIATION... NORTHERN MCS CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTHWARD INTO THE REGION. IMPACTS WILL BE FELT AT JBR WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. WENT WITH MVFR CIGS AT JBR ALONG WITH GUSTS UPWARDS OF 25KTS. ALSO AT JBR...BY 08Z LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BRING CIGS DOWN TO IFR CONDITIONS. ELSEWHERE CONFIDENCE IS RATHER LOW IN REGARDS TO TIMING OF FURTHER CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. WENT WITH PREVAILING CB GROUPS AT BOTH MEM AND MKL FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. VISIBILITY MAY BE REDUCED TO LESS THAT 5 MILES IN THE HEAVIER CONVECTION AND ALSO LOWERING CIGS WILL YIELD MVFR CONDITONS. WENT WITH A 6 HOUR CB GROUP FOR TUP THIS EVENING AS DAYTIME HEATING INCREASES INSTABILITY IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI. ALSO...CIGS WILL LOWER TO MVFR CONDITIONS IN THE HEAVIER STORMS AS CEILINGS LOWER. CDG && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 85 70 87 72 / 50 30 10 10 MKL 85 67 86 69 / 50 30 20 20 JBR 83 67 84 70 / 50 50 20 20 TUP 89 68 90 70 / 20 10 10 10 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 314 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-241015- 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- 314 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF A CLARKSDALE TO TUPELO MISSISSIPPI LINE. PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40. MINOR TO MODERATE RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER... AND ALONG THE ST FRANCIS RIVER SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40. BACKWATER FLOODING WILL ALSO OCCUR ALONG SOME TRIBUTARIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY OVER AREAS TO THE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT... WITH AN ENHANCED SEVERE WEATHER THREAT OVER MUCH OF THE MIDSOUTH. LARGE HAIL... DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGH MOST OF THIS WEEK...WHICH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO BACKWATER TRIBUTARY FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THROUGH THURSDAY. PWB
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 166 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:25 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds knocked down several trees between Upper and Lower James Creek Roads just north of Ravenden Springs.
Straight line winds knocked a few trees down in Warm Springs and a power line in Middlebrook.
Straight line winds knocked down a couple of power lines at the intersection of County Road 224 and Highway 141 in the town of Beech Grove.
Straight line winds destroyed a shed in Rector.
Straight line winds knocked down a tree and a couple of power lines near the intersection of Railroad Street and Frisco Street.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, May 2011
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: 315373, 315375, 315378, 315379, 315380.