An upper low moved into the Mid-South with a couple bands of showers and thunderstorms on January 9, 2016. A few severe storms occurred across the Mid-South with large hail and damaging winds.
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 low moved into the Mid-South with a couple bands of showers and thunderstorms on January 9, 2016. A few severe storms occurred across the Mid-South with large hail and 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 Jan 9, 11:13 AM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1113 AM CST SAT JAN 9 2016 .UPDATE... UPDATED FOR 18Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW... && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1035 AM CST SAT JAN 9 2016/ DISCUSSION...WATER VAPOR SATELLITE TRENDS/WSR-88D VAD WIND PROFILES THIS MORNING PLACE AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. MEANWHILE...AT THE SURFACE A SURFACE LOW IS CENTERED NEAR LITTLE ROCK. AS OF 9 AM CST...TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE MID SOUTH ARE IN THE 50S ACROSS MOST OF THE MID SOUTH WITH UPPER 40S ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST ARKANSAS. LATEST SHORT TERM MODEL TRENDS STILL INDICATE A POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND PERHAPS A FEW BECOMING STRONG/SEVERE WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING HAIL FROM COLD TEMPERATURES ALOFT AND INSTABILITY EXPECTED TO BE ELEVATED. WILL ADJUST ANY ELEMENTS AS NEEDED TO ACCOUNT FOR SHORT TERM TRENDS. OTHERWISE...OVERALL FORECAST IS IN GREAT SHAPE AT THIS TIME. CJC DISCUSSION... CURRENTLY...AN UPPER LOW IS PIVOTING INTO THE SOUTHERN PLAINS THIS MORNING WITH A DEVELOPING 1006 MB SURFACE LOW PRESSURE NEAR THE ARKLATEX. THE LEADING BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUES TO PUSH NORTHEAST INTO THE MIDSOUTH. STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES OF 7.5 C/KM EXIST AHEAD OF THE LINE AND AS A RESULT SOME STORMS ARE GENERATING SOME SMALL HAIL. TEMPS ARE GENERALLY IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S. THIS BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH NORTHEAST ACROSS THE MIDSOUTH THIS MORNING. THERE MAY BE A BRIEF BREAK IN ACTIVITY BEHIND THIS INITIAL BAND THIS MORNING. HOWEVER EXPECT MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP LATER THIS MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON AS THE UPPER LOW AND VERY COLD TEMPS ALOFT MOVE INTO THE AREA. THE SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE TO MEMPHIS BY 18Z AND THEN TO WESTERN KY BY 00Z. AREAS TO THE SE OF THE SURFACE LOW TRACK WHERE SURFACE DEWPOINTS WILL BE A LITTLE HIGHER WILL STAND THE BEST CHANCE OF SEEING A SEVERE STORM THIS AFTERNOON. THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK FOR SE PARTS OF WEST TENNESSEE AND MUCH OF NORTH MISSISSIPPI. THE SYSTEM LIFTS NORTHEAST THIS EVENING AND ARCTIC AIR RUSHES IN. PRECIPITATION WILL POSSIBLY MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW ACROSS THE NORTH HALF OF THE MIDSOUTH SATURDAY NIGHT. LOCATIONS ALONG THE MO/KY BORDERS STAND THE BEST CHANCE OF SEEING SNOWFLAKES. A LIGHT ACCUMULATION ON GRASSY SURFACES MAY OCCUR FROM PARTS OF EXTREME NE ARKANSAS...THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL TO NW TENNESSEE. TEMPS BY MORNING WILL BE MOSTLY IN THE 20S WITH A BRISK NW WIND. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FOR SUNDAY WITH CLEARING SKIES. SUNDAY WILL BE COLD WITH BRISK NW WINDS CONTINUING. HIGHS WILL ONLY BE IN THE 30S. WIND CHILLS IN THE TEENS SUNDAY MORNING. SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE QUITE COLD WITH LOWS IN THE TEENS AND LOWER 20S. BELOW NORMAL TEMPS AND DRY WEATHER WILL CONTINUE INTO MID WEEK AS A REINFORCING COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH ON TUESDAY. BY THE END OF THE WEEK THE MODELS ARE IN SIGNIFICANT DISAGREEMENT. THE GFS HAS LOW PRESSURE TRACKING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WITH A WARMER AND WETTER SOLUTION BY FRIDAY. THE ECMWF SKIRTS A SYSTEM TO THE SOUTH ON THURSDAY THEN DRY AND COLD BY THE END OF THE WEEK. THE RESULTANT FORECAST IS A COMPROMISE WITH LOW CONFIDENCE. SJM .AVIATION... A RAIN SHIELD WITH ISOLATED LIGHTNING STRIKES HAS BEEN MOVING NORTHEAST THROUGH ALL TERMINALS THIS MORNING. SOME MVFR CIGS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED BUT THEY ARE SPORADIC IN NATURE. STILL EXPECT A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON AND PUSH THROUGH MKL AND TUP...EXITING THE AREA BY 00Z. SOME RA/SN MIX IS ALSO POSSIBLE BUT THIS SHOULD NOT REDUCE VISIBILITIES. WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN FROM THE NORTH WITH GUSTS NEAR 20KTS BEHIND THE EXITING SURFACE LOW OVERNIGHT. MVFR CONDITIONS WILL GIVE WAY TO VFR CONDITIONS AT ALL TAF SITES BY 15Z ON SUNDAY. TVT && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 400 AM CST SAT JAN 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>092-101200- 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- 400 AM CST SAT JAN 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 MODERATE RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUR ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. IN ADDITION...MAJOR RIVER FLOODING IS OCCURRING ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR OSCEOLA ARKANSAS. SUCH RIVER FLOODING MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO PROPERTY ON AND AROUND THE RIVERS AND RELATED TRIBUTARIES. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR THE LATEST RIVER FLOODING INFORMATION. THERE IS A MARGINAL RISK FOR SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON SOUTH AND EAST OF A BATESVILLE MISSISSIPPI TO LEXINGTON TENNESSEE LINE. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MODERATE TO MAJOR RIVER FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG PARTS OF THE MAIN STEM OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN THE MIDSOUTH THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR THE LATEST RIVER FLOODING INFORMATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY. SJM
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:43 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds damaged two mobile homes in the Deer Creek area. The swath of damage was 75 yards wide and 150 yards long.
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, January 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: 616392.