A Strong area of low pressure in Oklahoma intensified and moved into the Mid Mississippi Valley on April 15, 2011. A warm front surged north through the Mid-South during the morning hours of April 15, 2011 kicking off a round of severe thunderstorms with multiple reports of damaging winds.
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 Strong area of low pressure in Oklahoma intensified and moved into the Mid Mississippi Valley on April 15, 2011. A warm front surged north through the Mid-South during the morning hours of April 15, 2011 kicking off a round of severe thunderstorms with multiple reports of damaging winds. Later that day a trailing cold front pushed across the region with another round of severe thunderstorms producing mainly large hail.
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 Apr 15, 1:54 AM CST, 2 hours 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
254 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011
.DISCUSSION...
FORWARD PROPAGATING SEVERE QLCS WAS HEADED RAPIDLY EAST THROUGH
CENTRAL AR AT DISCUSSION TIME...WELL AHEAD OF THE 00Z NAM AND 03Z
HRRR FORECAST SOLUTIONS. TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT ACROSS
ALL OF THE MIDSOUTH THROUGH 15Z...10 AM CDT.
TIMING ISSUES ASIDE... NAM MODEL SUGGEST AN ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE
LINE WILL FORM ALONG AND EAST OF THE MS RIVER THIS AFTERNOON IN
RESPONSE TO RATHER STRONG SHORTWAVE ROUNDING THE BASE OF THE UPPER
LOW CENTERED NEAR KC MO. 00Z NAM PROGGED MIXED LAYER MUCAPES OF
1500 J/KG...WITH POCKETS OF 3000 J/KG...SUGGESTING SEVERE THREAT
WILL NOT LIKELY END WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS MORNING/S SEVERE
QLCS.
FEW CHANGES MADE BEYOND TODAY. AFTER A QUIET WEEKEND... EXPECT
MENTIONABLE RAIN CHANCES THROUGH THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEK AS NEAR
STATIONARY FRONT OSCILLATES OVER THE MIDSOUTH. RAIN CHANCES WILL
ENHANCED BY DAYTIME HEATING AND THE PASSAGE OF SHORTWAVES EMBEDDED
IN WEST/SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT.
PWB
&&
.AVIATION...
06Z TAF CYCLE
SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS ARE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHWEST CORNER OF FORECAST
AREA SO HAVE ADDED VCTS FOR KMEM AND KJBR FOR FIRST COUPLE OF HOURS
OF FORECAST. CLOUDS WILL INCREASE OVERNIGHT WITH FIRST ROUND OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARRIVING JUST BEFORE SUNRISE AND
CONTINUING THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. MVFR CEILINGS AND POSSIBLE
MVFR VISIBILITIES WILL ACCOMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS. SECOND ROUND OF
THUNDERSTORMS WILL START AROUND NOON FRIDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON HOURS. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD RETURN FRIDAY EVENING AS
THUNDERSTORMS MOVE OUT OF THE REGION. WINDS WILL BE SOUTH AT 10 TO
15 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS OVERNIGHT. WINDS WILL EVENTUALLY SHIFT TO
THE SOUTHWEST AND INCREASE AT AROUND 20 KNOTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS BY
FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
ARS
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MEM 78 48 65 47 / 90 10 10 0
MKL 73 47 61 40 / 100 50 10 0
JBR 74 46 63 42 / 60 20 10 0
TUP 79 49 67 41 / 100 60 10 0
&&
.MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR CLAY-CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROSS-GREENE-LAWRENCE-LEE AR-
MISSISSIPPI-PHILLIPS-POINSETT-RANDOLPH-ST. FRANCIS.
MO...WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR DUNKLIN-PEMISCOT.
MS...WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR ALCORN-BENTON MS-CALHOUN-CHICKASAW-COAHOMA-DESOTO-
ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LEE MS-MARSHALL-MONROE-PANOLA-PONTOTOC-
PRENTISS-QUITMAN-TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TIPPAH-TISHOMINGO-TUNICA-
UNION-YALOBUSHA.
TN...WIND ADVISORY FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING TO 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING
FOR CARROLL-CHESTER-CROCKETT-DECATUR-DYER-FAYETTE-GIBSON-
HARDEMAN-HARDIN-HAYWOOD-HENDERSON-HENRY-LAKE-LAUDERDALE-
MADISON-MCNAIRY-OBION-SHELBY-TIPTON-WEAKLEY.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 532 AM CDT FRI APR 15 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>092-160945- 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- 532 AM CDT FRI APR 15 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 MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI TODAY... AND A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND WEST TENNESSEE. THE PRIMARY RISKS THIS MORNING ARE DAMAGING STRAIT LINE WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIFT EAST THROUGH WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING AFTERNOON HEATING OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER RISK THIS AFTERNOON IS DAMAGING WINDS...TORNADOES AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED TODAY. PWB
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
415 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0408 AM TSTM WND DMG 3 S JONESBORO 35.78N 90.69W
04/15/2011 CRAIGHEAD AR EMERGENCY MNGR
POWER LINES DOWN U.S. HIGHWAY 63 AND COMMERCE DRIVE
&&
RJOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
419 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0418 AM TSTM WND DMG BAY 35.74N 90.56W
04/15/2011 CRAIGHEAD AR EMERGENCY MNGR
POWER LINES DOWN AT MAIN AND CENTRAL
&&
RJOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
423 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0409 AM TSTM WND DMG 5 S JONESBORO 35.75N 90.69W
04/15/2011 CRAIGHEAD AR EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES DOWN ON HOMES AND VEHICLES. CAMPING TRAILER
OVERTURNED IN LOT.
&&
RJOPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
429 AM CDT FRI APR 15 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 AM TSTM WND DMG 5 E BAY 35.74N 90.47W
04/15/2011 CRAIGHEAD AR BROADCAST MEDIA
DAMAGED SHED AND POWER LINES DOWN IN TOWN OF LUNSFORD
ALONG HIGHWAY 158
&&
RJOThe Memphis radar (KNQA), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:42 UTC.
9 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Damaging straight line winds downed multiple trees and large tree limbs about 5 miles east of Dyersburg. A few cars were damaged.
Damaging straight line winds knocked down trees in the western part of Henderson County. Trees were also knocked down and covered roads in Scotts Hill.
Quarter size hail reported at the intersection of Mulberry Road and Old Highway 45.
Quarter size hail reported at the intersection of Rinda Road and Meridian Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, April 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: 298282, 298285, 298423, 298425, 298426, 301149, 298428, 298429, 298430, 298431, 298432.