Abnormally dry weather continued into the month of August leading to moderate(D2) to extreme(D3) drought conditions over portions of North Mississippi. A semi-permanent upper ridge of high pressure resulted in little rainfall which continued the drought conditions.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Abnormally dry weather continued into the month of August leading to moderate(D2) to extreme(D3) drought conditions over portions of North Mississippi. A semi-permanent upper ridge of high pressure resulted in little rainfall which continued the drought conditions. Some rainfall toward the end of the month started to alleviate drought conditions in several counties. The drought continued stress on crops including corn and soybeans which led to lower yields. In addition, the drought caused river and lake levels to be at low levels.
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, 5:29 AM CST, 31 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Memphis TN 629 AM CDT TUE AUG 9 2016 .UPDATE...Aviation Discussion. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 311 AM CDT TUE AUG 9 2016/ Currently the Midsouth was rain free...with clear skies across the west and north...and mostly cloudy to cloudy skies over the south and east. Temperatures early this morning were mainly in the low to mid 70s...with upper 70s to low 80s in the Memphis metro. Winds were light or calm...and a few locations were reporting light fog. Today through Thursday...weak surface up to 850MB low pressure over southern Alabama will migrate slowly northwestward through the period...with model agreement taking it to the ARKLAMISS by Thursday. Shower and thunderstorm coverage will also expand with the low migration...reaching the eastern periphery of the Memphis metro today and crossing into Arkansas tomorrow. Have increased pops to likely this afternoon over northeast Mississippi were best surface convergence will lie. Coverage will diminish diurnally...roughly by mid evening tonight but may very well linger deeper into the night tomorrow as the center moves closer. Temperatures through the period will top out in the low and mid 90s with heat indices in the 100F to 105F range. Heat headlines will be close in the Delta. Models indicate afternoon dewpoints in the 75-77F range Wednesday and Thursday...but thicker cloud cover may be enough to ward off an advisory. Friday through Tuesday...the aforementioned broad area of low pressure will be aided by a slow approaching cold front this period. The two features will keep the Midsouth mostly cloudy with continued rain chances...especially east of the Mississippi River. Localized flash flooding will be a concern based off the anticipated slow movement of activity...and PW's forecasted to be at or exceeding 2.5 inches. Have added this threat in the morning HWO. Kept temperatures a couple of degrees below normal this period with heat indices falling back into the mid and upper 90s by Sunday. Rain chances will start diminishing Monday night into the middle of next week as the front shifts east and upper level heights build over the Ozarks. JAB && .AVIATION...12Z TAFs Winds will remain light...generally less than 6kt across the midsouth today...weakening even more tonight. Predominant direction will be from the northeast. Expect clouds to increase this afternoon area wide but cigs should remain VFR. Included VCTS at TUP after 18z...coverage and intensity should diminish after sunset. 30 && .MEG Watches/Warnings/Advisories... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 306 AM CDT TUE AUG 9 2016 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-101015- 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- 306 AM CDT TUE AUG 9 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL APPROACH 105 DEGREES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY OVER THE DELTA REGION OF THE MID-SOUTH. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MID-SOUTH MUCH OF THE WEEK. THE POTENTIAL FOR HEAVY RAIN/LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING WILL INCREASE FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. JAB
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe (D2) drought conditions developed by the middle of August and continued through the end of the month.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Mississippi in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, August 2016
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: 653403.