A powerful Mesoscale Convective system developed over Missouri during the morning hours of June 11, 2012. The complex moved southeast into the Mid-South during the afternoon and early evening resulting in several 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 powerful Mesoscale Convective system developed over Missouri during the morning hours of June 11, 2012. The complex moved southeast into the Mid-South during the afternoon and early evening resulting in several reports of 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 Jun 11, 11:55 AM CST, 1 hour earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1255 PM CDT MON JUN 11 2012 .DISCUSSION... UPDATED FOR 18Z AVIATION DISCUSSION && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1115 AM CDT MON JUN 11 2012/ UPDATE... UPDATED FOR ANTICIPATED CONVECTION AND SEVERE THREAT. DISCUSSION... A FORWARD PROPAGATING MCS CONTINUES TO PROGRESS EAST-SOUTHEASTWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN MISSOURI. THIS MCS IS PROGRESSING ALONG THE NORTHEASTERN PERIPHERY OF STRONG ELEVATED MIXED LAYER (EML/CAP) OVER MUCH OF ARKANSAS. THIS CAPPING INVERSION WAS ALSO EVIDENT FROM THE 12Z KLZK SOUNDING. THE CAP WEAKENS WITH EASTWARD EXTENT AND THE LATEST STEERING FLOW SUGGESTS THAT THE MCS SHOULD MAKE A TURN MORE TOWARDS THE SOUTH AND INTO THE HEART OF THE MID SOUTH. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME STRONGLY UNSTABLE IN THE PRE-CONVECTIVE AIRMASS AHEAD OF THE MCS. MLCAPES SHOULD APPROACH OR EVEN EXCEED 4000 J/KG AS TEMPERATURES RISE TO NEAR 90 DEGREES WITH DEWPOINTS REMAINING IN THE LOWER TO MIDDLE 70S. IN ADDITION...STEEPENING MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES ON EDGE OF THE EML AROUND 7.0 C/KM AND LI/S BETWEEN -8C AND -12C SHOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO SUSTAIN CONVECTION AND ALLOW FOR THE POTENTIAL OF DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. CONVECTION SHOULD REMAIN ORGANIZED ALONG THE ADVANCING COLD POOL. ADDITIONAL CONVECTION MAY DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF THE MCS AND WITH STRONG INSTABILITY AND WEAK CAPPING MAY ALSO POSE A SEVERE THREAT. PLAN TO EXPAND THE SLIGHT RISK AREAWIDE AND ADD MENTION OF SEVERE IN THE ZONES. ALSO POPS HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED TO REFLECT THE ANTICIPATED SITUATION. UPDATED ZONES AND GRIDS HAVE BEEN SENT AND THE HWO WILL BE UPDATED SHORTLY. JLH DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 449 AM CDT MON JUN 11 2012/ PRIMARY SHORT TERM FORECAST CONCERN REMAINS RAIN CHANCES. EARLY THIS MORNING... SHORTWAVE RIDGING WAS SPREADING INTO THE MIDSOUTH... IN THE WAKE OF AN UPPER LEVEL SHEAR AXIS THAT BROUGHT SCATTERED SHOWERS TO THE REGION ON SUNDAY. UPSTREAM OF THE SHORTWAVE RIDGE AXIS... A ROBUST LINEAR MCS WAS DROPPING SOUTHEAST THROUGH NW MISSOURI. 850/500MB THICKNESS ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THIS FEATURE MAY BEGIN A MORE SOUTHERLY PROPAGATION. KSGF VAD WIND PROFILER SHOWED 25KTS OF INFLOW...THOUGH THIS INFLOW SHOULD WEAKEN CONSIDERABLY FOLLOWING SUNRISE. AFTER A WEAKENING OF THE MO STORM COMPLEX... NAM MODEL REDEVELOPS STORMS OVER THE OZARK PLATEAU TOWARD MIDDAY. THIS APPEARS A REASONABLE SCENARIO...IN RESPONSE TO SURFACE HEATING... FALLING HEIGHTS AND INCREASING UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE AHEAD OF A LONG WAVE TROF. SURFACED BASED INSTABILITY SHOULD BE IN GOOD SUPPLY ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH THIS AFTERNOON... WITH PARTIAL SUN AND LOWER 70S DEWPOINTS. DESPITE WEAK SHORTWAVE RIDGING...THE HIGH DEWPOINTS SHOULD MAKE CONVECTIVE TEMPS ATTAINABLE THIS AFTERNOON...ENOUGH TO WARRANT CHANCE POPS. MORE ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE RIGHT ENTRANCE REGION OF AN UPPER JET CORE WILL INCREASE UPPER LEVEL DIFFLUENCE OVER THE MIDSOUTH... A PATTERN WHICH WILL WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY STATIC OVERNIGHT. THIS SUGGESTS ELEVATED STORMS MAY CONTINUE INTO THE OVERNIGHT... THROUGH MESOSCALE PROPAGATION PROCESSES WILL PLAY A LARGE ROLE ON WHERE STORMS OCCUR. A SURFACE COLD FRONT ARRIVES TUESDAY MORNING...BRINGING DRIER MIDCONTINENTAL AIR TO AREAS NORTH OF I40 BY AFTERNOON. 06Z NAM SUGGESTS THE FRONT MAY HANG UP OVER NORTH MS TUESDAY AFTERNOON... PROVIDING FOCUS FOR ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS. WEDNESDAY WILL SEE DRIER AIR OVER ALL THE MIDSOUTH. TEMPERATURES WILL RECOVER TO NEAR OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL VALUES FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEK. BY FRIDAY... DEWPOINTS RECOVER TO THE 60S. DRY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL...THOUGH CANNOT RULE OUT AN ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM OR TWO UNDER AN UPPER LEVEL SYNOPTIC SCALE RIDGE. PWB && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF SET CONVECTIVE COMPLEX IS SET TO SWEEP THROUGH THE MIDSOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. THIS IS CORROBORATED WELL BY THE LATEST HRRR RUN. HAVE TIMED TEMPO GROUPS AT ALL SITES. EXPECT A FEW QUIET HOURS AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE FIRST ROUND OF TSRAS. EXPECT REDEVELOPMENT TO OCCUR OVERNIGHT AS THE FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION. KEPT A VCTS GOING FOR NOW SINCE IT IS DIFFICULT TO TIME THIS MESOSCALE ACTIVITY BEYOND A FEW HOURS. EXPECT SSW WINDS AT 8-10 KTS THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE COMPLEX MOVES THROUGH WINDS SHOULD SHARPLY SHIFT TO THE NORTH AND GUST. ADDED A WIND GROUP TO KJBR IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS. NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH AT THE OTHER 3 SITES TO ADD THIS YET. EXPECT WINDS TO BACK AFTER THE COMPLEX MOVES THROUGH AND THEN EVENTUALLY RETURN TO LIGHT SOUTHERLY OVERNIGHT. THE FRONT WILL PASS THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY AND WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH AT 8-10 KTS. SJM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 90 74 87 65 / 60 50 40 10 MKL 88 69 85 59 / 60 50 40 0 JBR 87 67 86 61 / 80 50 10 0 TUP 89 71 86 65 / 50 60 60 10 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1119 AM CDT MON JUN 11 2012 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-121830- 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- 1119 AM CDT MON JUN 11 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK ACROSS THE ENTIRE MID SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI ON TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY WIND DAMAGE...INCLUDING TREES OR POWER LINES DOWN AND ANY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...OR HAIL LARGER THAN QUARTER SIZE TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS TENNESSEE. JLH
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 119 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:55 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds knocked shingles off numerous structures in Malden. Power lines and trees were knocked down across town. Metal roof was blown off a store.
Straight line winds caused roof damage to several buildings in Kennett. Many tree limbs up to three inches in diameter were knocked down in Senath and a window was blown out of a trailer. A few business signs were also blown down.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, June 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: 395333, 395337.