Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, October 2, 2014

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, October 2, 2014
Start: 2014-10-02T14:57
End: 2014-10-02T23:45
Location: Tennessee

October 2, 2014 · NWS MEG · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MEG wrote it up.

Scattered thunderstorms developed within an unstable airmass during the afternoon hours of October 2, 2014. A few of these storms contained large hail and damaging winds around the Memphis Metropolitan area. Later that evening a line of strong to severe thunderstorms rolled through ahead of an approaching cold front. There were isolated reports of damaging winds across West Tennessee.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 2, 2:53 PM CST, 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 2, 2:53 PM CST, 4 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 2, 2:05 PM CST, 52 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 2, 1:48 PM CST, 1 hour 9 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 2, 2:54 PM CST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
354 PM CDT THU OCT 02 2014

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0351 PM     HAIL             SOUTHAVEN               34.97N 90.00W
10/02/2014  M1.00 INCH       DESOTO             MS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER REPORTED HEAVY DOWNPOUR WITH QUARTER SIZED HAIL.

&&

MRM

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:55 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: October 2, 2:57 PM CST to 2:58 PM CST
Where: Shelby County, (Mem)memphis Intl Ar
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 35.050, -89.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Shelby

When: October 2, 3:08 PM CST to 3:38 PM CST
Where: Shelby County, 1.26 mi E of Aulon to 1.17 mi ENE of East Acres
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.131, -89.958

Straight line winds knocked down utililty lines across Central Avenue at Belvedere Boulevard in Midtown. East and westbound lanes were blocked. Multiple trees were knocked down at Mendenhall Road and Poplar Avenue in East Memphis. Large limbs were knocked down on to a house and power lines in the East Acres Community of Millington north of the Naval Base.

Hail, Shelby

When: October 2, 3:13 PM CST to 3:38 PM CST
Where: Shelby County, 1.53 mi SW of Shelby Farms to 1.17 mi ENE of East Acres
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.152, -89.886

Large hail from the size of quarters up to golfballs fell from Bartlett to the east side of Millington.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tipton

When: October 2, 9:43 PM CST to 9:48 PM CST
Where: Tipton County, 1.31 mi SW of Burlison to 1.06 mi SSE of Burlison
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 35.555, -89.794

Straight line winds snapped a couple of large trees in half at Burlison.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lake

When: October 2, 10:00 PM CST to 10:01 PM CST
Where: Lake County, 2.41 mi WNW of Cottonwood
Measured: 74 kt (85 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.238, -89.572

A home weather station measured a 74 knot gust west of Ridgely.

Thunderstorm Wind, Dyer

When: October 2, 10:20 PM CST to 10:25 PM CST
Where: Dyer County, 0.79 mi W of (Dyr)dyersburg Muni to 0.34 mi W of (Dyr)dyersburg Muni
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 35.998, -89.414

Straight line winds snapped three trees with 12 inch trunks near the Dyersburg Golf Course.

Thunderstorm Wind, Henderson

When: October 2, 11:00 PM CST to 11:15 PM CST
Where: Henderson County, Middle Fork to Darden
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 35.530, -88.500

Straight line winds knocked down several trees on roads across southern Henderson County.

Thunderstorm Wind, Henry

When: October 2, 11:25 PM CST to 11:45 PM CST
Where: Henry County, Cottage Grove to 2.35 mi NNW of Oak Hill
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 36.380, -88.480

Straight line winds knocked down trees and power poles across northern Henry County, particularly in the Cottage Grove area. Five power poles were broken across the county. A barn was damaged on Jones Bend Road and a tree fell on two vehicles on New Boston Road. Both vehicles suffered damage.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, October 2014

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 544612, 544613, 544614, 545226, 545221, 545227, 545228, 545229.