Scattered thunderstorms developed in a hot and humid airmass over Northeast Mississippi during the afternoon hours of August 9, 2013. A few storms dumped very heavy rain and caused flash flooding.
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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed in a hot and humid airmass over Northeast Mississippi during the afternoon hours of August 9, 2013. A few storms dumped very heavy rain and caused flash flooding. A severe thunderstorm with damaging winds also occurred in Tupelo.
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 Aug 9, 11:24 AM CST, 1 hour 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1224 PM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013
.DISCUSSION...
UPDATED FOR 18Z AVIATION DISCUSSION
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1128 AM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013/
UPDATE...MORNING UPDATE.
CURRENTLY A WEAK STATIONARY COLD FRONT IS STREWN ACROSS THE MID-
SOUTH FROM HENRY COUNTY TN TO CRAIGHEAD COUNTY AR. THIS HAS
RESULTED IN WIDESPREAD SHOWERS IN NORTHEAST AR AS WELL AS
ABUNDANT CLOUD COVER. AS A RESULT...TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MID
TO UPPER 70S IN NORTHEAST AR WITH MID TO UPPER 80S ELSEWHERE
AROUND THE CWA AS OF 11 AM. MADE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO POPS AND
HIGH TEMPERATURES THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND RE-ISSUED THE HEAT
ADVISORY TO INCLUDE MOST OF NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHEASTERN
AR... AND SHELBY COUNTY IN WEST TENNESSEE. OTHER THAN THAT...THE
FORECAST APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK AND NO FURTHER CHANGES ARE NEEDED
AT THIS TIME.
AC3
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 635 AM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013/
DISCUSSION...
EARLY MORNING TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH ARE GENERALLY 2-4
DEGREES COOLER THAN 24 HOURS AGO...BUT STILL RATHER WARM FOR THIS
TIME OF THE MORNING...GENERALLY IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 70S.
MEMPHIS IS THE WARMEST LOCATION STILL AT 81 DEGREES. THE NORTHERN
HALF OF THE MIDSOUTH WILL NOT LIKELY COOL MUCH MORE THIS MORNING
DUE TO EXTENSIVE CLOUD COVER...BUT MOST OF NORTH
MISSISSIPPI...SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF WEST TENNESSEE AND EAST CENTRAL
ARKANSAS...WILL LIKELY COOL ANOTHER COUPLE OF DEGREES BEFORE
SUNRISE. RAINFALL IS COMING TO AN END ACROSS EAST ARKANSAS...THE
MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND WEST TENNESSEE. RADAR DERIVED RAINFALL
TOTALS EXCEED THREE INCHES ACROSS AN AREA FROM THE MISSOURI
BOOTHEEL INTO WESTERN CRAIGHEAD COUNTY ARKANSAS WITH BULLS EYES IN
EXCESS OF SIX INCHES. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT
THROUGH 5 AM.
A WEAK STATIONARY FRONT REMAINS IN PLACE ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH
STRETCHING FROM NEAR PARIS TN...TO NEAR JONESBORO ARKANSAS.
PWATS REMAIN IN THE 1.75 TO 2.10 INCH RANGE ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH
WITH A TRAIN OF WEAK MID LEVEL DISTURBANCES MIGRATING THROUGH
WESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE AREA. NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE
WEATHER PATTERN ARE EXPECTED FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. MOISTURE
LEVELS WILL REMAIN HIGH WITH SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS. STORMS WILL BE MOST LIKELY ACROSS NORTHERN PORTIONS
OF THE MIDSOUTH...BUT CANNOT BE RULED OUT ANYWHERE. TEMPERATURES
WILL BE WARMEST IN THE SOUTH. DEW POINTS WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE 70S
AREA WIDE. IN THE DELTA AREAS IN EAST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND WEST
MISSISSIPPI...AFTERNOON HIGHS ARE EXPECTED TO CLIMB INTO THE
MIDDLE 90S. RESULTING HEAT INDICES MAY APPROACH 105 DEGREES. THESE
READINGS ARE SLIGHTLY BELOW WHAT WAS IN OUR PREVIOUS
FORECAST...AND JUST BELOW HEAT ADVISORY CRITERIA. AS A
RESULT...ELECTED TO CANCEL THE HEAT ADVISORY. WE DID REACH
ADVISORY CRITERIA YESTERDAY AFTERNOON...BUT AS NOTED
ABOVE...TEMPERATURES TODAY ARE STARTING OFF SLIGHTLY COOLER...AND
DEW POINTS ARE AS WELL. ADDITIONALLY...RAIN AND CLOUDS SHOULD HELP
TO LIMIT AFTERNOON HEATING.
MOISTURE LEVELS WILL REMAIN HIGH TOMORROW...WITH GUIDANCE
INDICATING UP TO 2.20 INCHES OF PRECIPITABLE WATER ACROSS MOST OF
THE MIDSOUTH FRIDAY AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL IS
EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON...TONIGHT AND TOMORROW...ANOTHER FLASH
FLOOD WATCH MAY BE REQUIRED...BUT WILL MONITOR UPSTREAM
DEVELOPMENT BEFORE PULLING THE TRIGGER.
THE WEEKEND LOOKS MUCH LIKE TODAY AND TOMORROW...WARM WHERE IT
ISN'T RAINING...BUT WITH A FAIRLY GOOD CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS
AREA WIDE. IT STILL LOOKS THE HIGHEST RAINFALL CHANCES WILL BE IN
NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE MIDSOUTH. STORMS SHOULD NOT BE TOO
ORGANIZED SO NO WIDESPREAD SEVERE WINDS...HAIL OR TORNADOES ARE
EXPECTED...BUT FLOODING MAY REMAIN A PROBLEM...ESPECIALLY IF THE
EXPECTED RAINFALL DEVELOPS TODAY AND TOMORROW.
GUIDANCE TRENDS SLIGHTLY DRIER BY MIDWEEK...BUT CONFIDENCE IS
RATHER LOW IN THE OVERALL FORECAST PAST ONLY A COUPLE OF DAYS.
PERSISTENCE IS PROBABLY THE BEST FORECAST TOOL IN SUCH AN
UNCERTAIN PATTERN...SO WILL CONTINUE TO LEAN TOWARDS THE WETTER
SIDE OF GUIDANCE...WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES.
&&
.AVIATION...
18Z TAF CYCLE
VFR CONDS CONT ACROSS THE AREA WITH WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
DEVELOPING OVR NE MS. STARTED TUP TAF WITH THE VCTS AND CONT THRU 00Z.
OUTFLOW FROM MORNING CONVECTION MOVING ACROSS THE MS RIVER
CURRENTLY. EXPECT IT WILL TAKE A LONGER TIME FOR CONVECTION TO
DEVELOP FURTHER WEST WHERE THE OUTFLOW CURRENTLY CROSSING THE
RIVER MAY BE THE FOCUS FOR DEVELOPMENT. KEPT VCTS 22-23Z THRU 03Z
AT MEM/MKL. TS UNLIKELY TO REFORM OVER JBR THIS AFTERNOON WITH
MORE CLOUD COVER. HOWEVER...OVERNIGHT MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE
COMPLEX AGAIN LIKELY TO FORM OVER SRN MO/NRN AR SO LEFT IN VCTS AT
08Z FOR JBR AND ADDED AT TEMPO GROUP FOR TSRA BTN 11-15Z. FOR THE
REST OF TAF LOCATIONS ADDED VCTS DURING THE MORNING HOURS...EXCEPT
FOR TUP WHERE STARTED WITH A VCSH BY 17Z SAT SIMILAR TO TODAY.
NGU
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
MEM 75 92 75 92 / 50 60 50 40
MKL 71 87 71 89 / 60 60 50 40
JBR 72 87 72 89 / 60 60 50 40
TUP 73 93 73 93 / 40 50 40 40
&&
.MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR CRITTENDEN-LEE AR-
PHILLIPS-ST. FRANCIS.
MO...NONE.
MS...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR CALHOUN-CHICKASAW-
COAHOMA-DESOTO-ITAWAMBA-LAFAYETTE-LEE MS-MARSHALL-MONROE-
PANOLA-PONTOTOC-QUITMAN-TALLAHATCHIE-TATE-TUNICA-YALOBUSHA.
TN...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR SHELBY.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 122 PM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>021-048>055-088>092-101815- 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- 122 PM CDT FRI AUG 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. IN ADDITION...A HEAT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE THROUGH 8 PM CDT AS HEAT INDEX READINGS ARE EXPECTED TO BE BETWEEN 105-108 DEGREES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. AC3
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:42 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds knocked down a tree on Carnation Street and a power line between Main Street and Jefferson Street.
Very heavy rain produced flash flooding across Tupelo and Verona. Numerous streets were flooded. Cars were flooded in a business parking lot in South Tupelo.
Heavy rain produced flash flooding in Booneville. The parking lot of a car dealership was flooded and 5th Street was closed due to flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, August 2013
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: 473800, 473801, 473802.