An upper level disturbance moved out of Northeast Texas into the Mid-South during the afternoon and early evening hours on May 24, 2015. The airmass across the Mid-South was moist and unstable and the disturbance ignited scattered showers and thunderstorms across the region.
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.
An upper level disturbance moved out of Northeast Texas into the Mid-South during the afternoon and early evening hours on May 24, 2015. The airmass across the Mid-South was moist and unstable and the disturbance ignited scattered showers and thunderstorms across the region. A few storms were severe with 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 May 24, 1:56 PM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
256 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 2015
.DISCUSSION...
SKIES ARE PARTLY CLOUDY ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS
AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE UPPER 70S TO MID 80S.
SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTH
ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA AT THIS TIME. THIS ACTIVITY IS AHEAD OF
AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE WHICH WILL BE LIFTING NORTHEAST FROM
NORTHEAST TEXAS TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY. AS THIS SHORTWAVE MOVES
THROUGH THE REGION...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH
DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE. TORNADO WATCHES
ARE IN EFFECT FOR AREAS SOUTH AND WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA UNTIL
EARLY EVENING. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE MAINLY WEST
OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
ON MONDAY...AS THIS SHORTWAVE MOVES OUT OF THE REGION THE CHANCE
OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH SOME DURING THE DAY ESPECIALLY OVER
WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN
FAIRLY CLOSE TO NORMAL LEVELS WITH HIGHS MAINLY IN THE LOWER 80S.
ON MONDAY NIGHT...A SECOND UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS
THE REGION. THIS SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE A LITTLE STRONGER THAN THE
SYSTEM MOVING THROUGH TONIGHT. THIS WILL MEAN THAT WILL BE ANOTHER
THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER, IT ALSO MEANS THAT HEAVY RAINFALL IS
POSSIBLE MAINLY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. WILL BE ISSUING A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL OUT COUNTIES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY NIGHT. THIS SHORT WAVE WILL
FINALLY PULL OUT OF THE REGION ON TUESDAY WITH MORE THUNDERSTORMS
EXPECTED.
BY TUESDAY NIGHT...A THIRD SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS
AND INTO SOUTHERN MISSOURI. THIS SYSTEM IS NOT NEARLY AS STRONG AS
THE FIRST TWO SO THERE WILL BE A LESSER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS
FOR TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. AS THIS SHORT WAVE PULLS OF THE
REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE
TO DECREASE.
ON THURSDAY...WE HAVE WEATHER MORE TYPICAL OF EARLY SUMMER WITH
SOME AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING. ANY
THUNDERSTORMS THAT WE SEE DURING THE DAY ON THURSDAY SHOULD BE
GONE BY THURSDAY EVENING.
BY FRIDAY...THE FIRST IN ANOTHER SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVES
WILL APPROACH THE REGION. THIS WILL BRING MORE SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS TO THE FORECAST AREA FOR FRIDAY AND CONTINUING
THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR OR
SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS DURING THIS PERIOD.
ARS
&&
.AVIATION...
18Z TAF CYCLE
SOUTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 18Z TMR. WINDS ARE TO BE
STRONG AND GUSTY, BUT GUSTS SHOULD CEASE TONIGHT AND TMR MORNING.
SHOWERS AHEAD OF A FEATURE WORKING IN WESTERN AR HAVE POPPED UP
AND DIED OUT ALL MORNING. AFTER RELEASE OF 18Z PACKAGE...SHOWERS
DEVELOPED IN NORTHER MISSISSIPPI AND ARE MOVING NORTH. MAY HAVE TO
PUT IN SHOWERS FOR THIS AFTERNOON. THINKING IS FOR TS'S IN WESTERN AR
TO ARRIVE JBR/MEM EARLY EVENING GO ON EAST AND BE IN MKL/TUP VCNTY
AFTER 9 THIS EVENING. EXPECT CEILINGS TO DROP DURING STORMS.
WER
&&
.MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
FOR CLAY-CRAIGHEAD-CRITTENDEN-CROSS-GREENE-LAWRENCE-LEE AR-
MISSISSIPPI-PHILLIPS-POINSETT-RANDOLPH-ST. FRANCIS.
MO...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING
FOR DUNKLIN-PEMISCOT.
MS...NONE.
TN...NONE.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 330 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 2015 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-252230- ALCORN-BENTON MS-BENTON TN-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- 330 PM CDT SUN MAY 24 2015 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 FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS EAST AND NORTHEAST ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...FAR WEST TENNESSEE...AND FAR NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY NIGHT FOR AREAS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. SEVERAL INCHES OF RAIN MAY FALL OVER THESE LOCATIONS. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE MID SOUTH AGAIN MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL WILL BE ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE FORECAST AREA. THE THREATS WILL AGAIN BE DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG AND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. ADDITIONAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING FOR PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH.
The Columbus AFB radar (KGWX), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:18 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
An uprooted tree fell on a car on County Road 405 west of Houston. A large oak tree fell on a trailer near Houlka. Several trees were knocked down on Highway 32 west of Houlka.
Strong winds knocked down a tree on Highway 30 just east of New Albany. The tree struck two cars killing one person. Two others received minor injuries. Several other limbs were knocked down in the city.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Union | 2015-05-24 | 62 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, May 2015
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: 581155, 581159.