A strong upper level disturbance interacted with a very warm and humid air mass in place across the region allowing several severe thunderstorms to develop during the evening hours of the 9th. The storms developed across far northeastern Louisiana and southeast Arkansas initially, gradually moving south as the evening wore on.
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 JAN wrote it up.
A strong upper level disturbance interacted with a very warm and humid air mass in place across the region allowing several severe thunderstorms to develop during the evening hours of the 9th. The storms developed across far northeastern Louisiana and southeast Arkansas initially, gradually moving south as the evening wore on. Damage due to wind and hail occurred as a result of these storms, in addition to some damage as a result of lightning.
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 Jackson, MS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 9, 7:27 PM CST, 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 827 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 .UPDATE...REDUCED POPS OVER THE EASTERN PART OF THE AREA AND BUMPED UP POPS OVER THE WESTERN THIRD. LOWERED OVERNIGHT MIN TEMPS BY A DEGREE OR TWO IN A FEW LOCATIONS. /DL/ && .DISCUSSION...THE AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX HAS NOW PUSHED SEWD OUT OF THE AREA. NEW STORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN AN AREA OF 2000-3000 J/KG MLCAPE OVER NE LOUISIANA AND SE ARKANSAS WHERE THE AIRMASS WAS NOT CONTAMINATED BY EARLIER CONVECTION. SOME OF THESE STORMS HAVE BEEN RATHER POTENT THUS FAR THIS EVENING...WITH 50 DBZ ECHOES REACHING 50 KFT AT TIMES. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL REMAIN A POTENTIAL THREAT WITH THE STORMS THROUGH THE NEXT FEW HOURS. NWP GUIDANCE HAS GENERALLY BEEN HANDLING PRECIPITATION POORLY TODAY. BASED ON THE FACT THAT THE ATMOSPHERE HAS BEEN QUITE WORKED OVER ACROSS EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA...HAVE CUT BACK POPS SUBSTANTIALLY IN THESE AREAS. THE ACTIVITY CURRENTLY OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE AREA WILL LIKELY HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME MOVING/DEVELOPING VERY MUCH FARTHER TO THE EAST INTO THE MORE HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. DID LEAVE IN SLIGHT CHANCE/LOW END CHANCE POPS FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...AS SOME ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT CANNOT BE ENTIRELY RULED OUT WITH AN UPPER DISTURBANCE SWINGING ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT. OVER THE WEST...POPS WERE INCREASED A BIT IN AREAS THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING AFFECTED BY CONVECTION. THE EARLIER CONVECTION KNOCKED A FEW SITES BELOW PREVIOUSLY FORECAST LOW TEMPS FOR TONIGHT...MAINLY ALONG THE I-59 CORRIDOR. MIN TEMPS WERE TWEAKED IN THESE AREAS. READINGS SHOULD NOT FALL OFF MUCH MORE IN THESE AREAS BUT RATHER HOLD NEARLY STEADY FOR MOST OF THE NIGHT. IN ADDITION...HOURLY WX ELEMENT GRIDS WERE UPDATED BASED ON CURRENT OBSERVATIONAL TRENDS. UPDATED PRODUCTS ARE BEING SENT. /DL/ && .AVIATION...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE GENERALLY BEEN CONFINED TO LOCATIONS WEST OF THE TAF SITES EARLY THIS EVENING...AND IT APPEARS STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MISS THEM OVERNIGHT AS THE AIRMASS OVER CENTRAL MS HAS BEEN STABILIZED FROM EARLIER STORMS. FOR FRIDAY...THE BETTER MOISTURE CONVERGENCE WILL SET UP OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA FRIDAY AND EXPECT THE GREATER RISK FOR MAINLY AFTERNOON STORMS FROM HKS/JAN TO MEI AND HBG. /EC/ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED AT 400 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012/ WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT THERE WILL PROBABLY NOT BE A WHOLE LOT OF SHOWERS AND STORMS ONGOING IN THE REGION AT DAYBREAK...I AM ANTICIPATING HEATING AND ASSOCIATED DESTABILIZATION THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS TO COMBINE WITH AN INCOMING COLD FRONT TO BREAK OUT LOTS MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS FOR TOMORROW AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. THE CURRENT FORECAST IS PERHAPS NOT WET ENOUGH CONSIDERING LAST MINUTE EURO MODEL DATA...BUT GFS-BASED MAV POPS WERE ALREADY RAISED SOME 15 TO 20 POINTS IN MOST AREAS. THE PROSPECT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE SIMILAR TO WHAT HAS BEEN THE CASE TODAY...WHERE INSTABILITY WAS NOT ABLE TO ACHIEVE LEVELS QUITE HIGH ENOUGH TO (SO FAR) PRODUCE MANY TRULY SEVERE STORMS DESPITE A DECENT DISTURBANCE IN PLACE. SO FOR TOMORROW CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE SOME STRONG STORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS AND A LITTLE SMALL HAIL AROUND WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR AT LEAST A FEW STORMS OF HIGHER CALIBER. OVERALL MODEL CONSENSUS SEEMS TO HANG THE COLD FRONT UP A BIT NEAR THE HIGHWAY 84 CORRIDOR TOMORROW NIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY...WITH THE FRONT THEN PUSHING DOWN TO THE COAST AND WASHING OUT LATER ON SATURDAY. IF THIS GENERAL EVOLUTION OCCURS THERE COULD STILL BE A FEW CLOUDS AND A STRAY SHOWER OVER SOUTHERN ZONES INTO SATURDAY...BUT OTHERWISE SKIES WOULD BE CLEARING FROM THE NORTH TOMORROW NIGHT WITH SLIGHTLY COOLER (AND DEFINITELY DRIER) AIR STARTING TO FILTER SOUTH. MOST THE WEEKEND SHOULD BE QUITE NICE IN COMPARISON TO RECENT WEATHER...WITH HIGHS SATURDAY NEAR 90 AND MUCH LOWER HUMIDITY. LOWS SATURDAY NIGHT SHOULD GET DOWN INTO THE RELATIVELY PLEASANT 60S. I WILL JUST CROSS MY FINGERS THAT OUTLYING MODEL SOLUTIONS HANGING THE FRONT UP FURTHER NORTH THAN CONSENSUS WILL BEHAVE AS MOST OUTLYING SOLUTIONS...AND NOT COME TO PASS. AFTER THIS WEEKEND THE PREVIOUS FORECAST LOOKS ON TRACK AND THE PREVIOUS FORECAST DISCUSSION CONCERNING THIS PERIOD HAS BEEN POSTED BELOW. /BB/ LONG TERM...UNFORTUNATELY...JUST AS QUICK AS THIS DRIER AIR CAME...THE AIRMASS WILL MODERATE UP THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. THIS BASICALLY EQUATES TO A RETURN TO WHAT'S BEEN THE NORM FOR SUMMER ACROSS THE CWA...HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WITH ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS EACH AFTERNOON...LINGERING INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. MODELS DO INDICATE A WEAK BOUNDARY TRYING TO SNEAK INTO THE CWA AND MEANDERING ABOUT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH MID-WEEK. IF THIS PANS OUT...IT COULD ENHANCE RAIN CHANCES DURING THE LATTER HALF OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...AND COULD RESULT IN A COMPLEX OR TWO OF SHOWERS AND STORMS TRAVERSING THE REGION UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. /19/ && .JAN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MS...NONE. LA...NONE. AR...NONE. && DL/EC/BB/19
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 619 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>025-MSZ018-019-025>028-034>036- 040>042-047-102330- ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-BOLIVAR-SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE- GRENADA-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES-ISSAQUENA- SHARKEY-YAZOO-WARREN- 619 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND FRIDAY SOME SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING...MAINLY BETWEEN 5 PM AND MIDNIGHT...ACROSS THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE AREA AS A MID LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVES OVER THE AREA. THE MAIN HAZARDS FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS TO 60 MPH...QUARTER SIZED HAIL AND CONTINUOUS LIGHTNING. AN ADDITIONAL ROUND OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND SOUTH OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE REGION. DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 MPH AND QUARTER SIZED HAIL COULD OCCUR AS THE FRONT PUSHES SOUTH THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT OR FRIDAY. LAZ026-MSZ029>033-037>039-043>046-048>066-072>074-102330- CONCORDIA-WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES-CHOCTAW-OKTIBBEHA-ATTALA-WINSTON- NOXUBEE-MADISON MS-LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER-HINDS-RANKIN-SCOTT-NEWTON- LAUDERDALE-CLAIBORNE-COPIAH-SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER-CLARKE-JEFFERSON- ADAMS-FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN-LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON- JONES-MARION-LAMAR-FORREST- 619 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI... NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT AND FRIDAY A ROUND OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND SOUTH OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON ACROSS THE REGION. DAMAGING WINDS OF 60 MPH AND QUARTER SIZED HAIL COULD OCCUR AS THE FRONT PUSHES SOUTH THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... THE ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS...HAM RADIO OPERATORS...AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IN SUPPORT OF SEVERE WEATHER OPERATIONS MAY BE NEEDED ON FRIDAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/JAN. ALLEN/DL
LAZ016-MSZ040-047-100100- WARREN MS-ISSAQUENA MS-MADISON LA- 729 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 729 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM APPROACHING VICKSBURG... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTH OF EAGLE BEND AT 729 PM CDT...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. HIGH WINDS CAN BRING DOWN TREES AND LARGE LIMBS RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OUTDOORS DURING SUCH STRONG WINDS...AND BE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF OLDER TREES. PEOPLE IN SOUTH CENTRAL ISSAQUENA AND CENTRAL WARREN COUNTIES...AND NORTHEASTERN MADISON PARISH SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. LAT...LON 3239 9067 3218 9091 3242 9114 3256 9102 TIME...MOT...LOC 0029Z 304DEG 16KT 3244 9099 BK
LAZ007-100105- MOREHOUSE LA- 732 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 732 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR BASTROP... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS LOCATED 5 MILES EAST OF BASTROP AT 733 PM CDT...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. HIGH WINDS CAN BRING DOWN TREES AND LARGE LIMBS RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OUTDOORS DURING SUCH STRONG WINDS...AND BE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF OLDER TREES. PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN MOREHOUSE PARISH SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. LAT...LON 3273 9165 3259 9179 3275 9195 3290 9183 TIME...MOT...LOC 0033Z 305DEG 18KT 3277 9180 BK
LAZ009-MSZ040-041-100130-
SHARKEY MS-ISSAQUENA MS-EAST CARROLL LA-
801 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
801 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS
LOCATED 4 MILES WEST OF FITLER AT 802 PM CDT...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30
MPH.
HIGH WINDS CAN BRING DOWN TREES AND LARGE LIMBS RESULTING IN SERIOUS
INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OUTDOORS
DURING SUCH STRONG WINDS...AND BE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF OLDER TREES.
PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN ISSAQUENA AND SOUTHWESTERN SHARKEY COUNTIES...AND
EAST CENTRAL EAST CARROLL PARISH SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
LAT...LON 3285 9107 3262 9082 3254 9095 3254 9096
3257 9097 3257 9105 3256 9108 3272 9123
TIME...MOT...LOC 0102Z 317DEG 25KT 3271 9107
BKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
840 PM CDT THU AUG 09 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0825 PM HAIL 5 NW RAYVILLE 32.52N 91.83W
08/09/2012 E1.25 INCH RICHLAND LA BROADCAST MEDIA
HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL NORTH OF START...BEGINNING TO COVER
THE GROUND
&&
DLLAZ016-MSZ047-100225-
WARREN MS-MADISON LA-
854 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
854 PM CDT THU AUG 9 2012
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS WAS
LOCATED 5 MILES NORTH OF VICKSBURG AT 855 PM CDT...MOVING SOUTHEAST
AT 20 MPH.
HIGH WINDS CAN BRING DOWN TREES AND LARGE LIMBS RESULTING IN SERIOUS
INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN OUTDOORS
DURING SUCH STRONG WINDS...AND BE ESPECIALLY AWARE OF OLDER TREES.
PEOPLE IN CENTRAL WARREN COUNTY...AND EAST CENTRAL MADISON PARISH
SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
LAT...LON 3245 9096 3243 9096 3245 9094 3244 9086
3250 9086 3251 9084 3230 9069 3228 9072
3224 9073 3218 9090 3243 9103
TIME...MOT...LOC 0155Z 333DEG 19KT 3238 9088
BKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
858 PM CDT THU AUG 09 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0730 PM TSTM WND GST MER ROUGE 32.78N 91.79W
08/09/2012 E50.00 MPH MOREHOUSE LA LAW ENFORCEMENT
A TREE WAS DOWNED ACROSS A ROAD
&&
DLThe Little Rock radar (KLZK), 180 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:18 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were blown down along US Highway 82 between Hamburg and Montrose blocking the highway. Other trees were blown down across eastern Ashley County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Arkansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Arkansas, August 2012
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: 401950, 401948.