Below normal rainfall continued during the month of June across West Tennessee. As a result, severe (D2) drought conditions expanded across Northwest Tennessee and extreme West Tennessee by the end of June.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Below normal rainfall continued during the month of June across West Tennessee. As a result, severe (D2) drought conditions expanded across Northwest Tennessee and extreme West Tennessee by the end of June. In addition, drought conditions intensified to extreme (D3) conditions across extreme Northwest Tennessee. Many crops that were planted during the spring struggled to grow due to lack of water. Irreversible damage was done to the corn crop while soybean and sorghum fields yield potential continued to dwindle as a result of the dry conditions. Many pastures were in poor condition forcing farmers to feed cattle baled hay. Lake and river levels dropped to low levels. Burn bans were issued for many counties as a result of the dry conditions.
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 19, 5:37 AM CST, 23 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 637 AM CDT TUE JUN 19 2012 .DISCUSSION... UPDATED FOR 12Z AVIATION DISCUSSION && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 253 AM CDT TUE JUN 19 2012/ DISCUSSION... SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLEAR ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE UPPER 60S TO UPPER 70S. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY TODAY AND WILL REMAIN IN PLACE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THIS WILL KEEP DRY CONDITIONS OVER THE FORECAST AREA WITH TEMPERATURES A COUPLE OF DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA AND WEAKEN ON FRIDAY WHICH MAY PRODUCE SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. WHAT IS LEFT OF THE FRONT SHOULD BE OUT OF THE REGION FRIDAY NIGHT BRINGING AN END TO THE THREAT OF RAIN. UPPER LEVEL PATTERN BEGINS TO AMPLIFY QUITE A BIT STARTING SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER RIDGE DEVELOPING OVER THE CENTRAL U.S. THIS WILL PRODUCE MORE DRY WEATHER FOR THE FORECAST AREA BUT WILL ALSO MEAN WARMER TEMPERATURES WITH AFTERNOON READINGS IN THE MID TO UPPER 90S. ALONG WITH THE HOTTER TEMPERATURES WILL BE INCREASED MOISTURE SO HEAT INDEX VALUES COULD APPROACH ADVISORY LEVELS BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. ARS && .AVIATION... 12Z TAFS VFR CONDS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH THE PERIOD. LOW CLOUDS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL AR SHOULD REMAIN WEST OF THE MIDSOUTH THIS MORNING. OCCASIONALLY GUSTY SOUTH WINDS EXPECTED BTWN 19/15Z-20/01Z. SJM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... MEM 92 72 93 72 / 0 0 0 0 MKL 90 66 91 65 / 0 0 0 0 JBR 92 70 93 70 / 0 0 0 0 TUP 91 67 93 67 / 0 0 0 0 && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 307 AM CDT TUE JUN 19 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>092-201015- 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- 307 AM CDT TUE JUN 19 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY HEAT INDICES MAY APPROACH 105 DEGREES OVER NORTH MISSISSIPPI... FAR WEST TENNESSEE AND EASTERN ARKANSAS THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe (D2) drought conditions began across the county.
Severe (D2) drought conditions began across the county.
Severe (D2) drought conditions began across the county.
Severe (D2) drought conditions began across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, 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: 394898, 394899, 394900, 394901.