A warm and humid airmass contributed to scattered thunderstorms during the late afternoon hours of July 4th. One of the storms pulsed up reaching a brief period of severity in northwest Mississippi.
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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.
A warm and humid airmass contributed to scattered thunderstorms during the late afternoon hours of July 4th. One of the storms pulsed up reaching a brief period of severity in northwest Mississippi. Damaging winds were the result.
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 Jul 4, 2:44 PM CST, 2 hours 11 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Memphis TN 344 PM CDT MON JUL 4 2016 .DISCUSSION... Models in general agreement with the pattern over the next week. Upper level trough moving through the Mid-South as this discussion is being typed. The upper level trough does really move out of the Mid-South until Tuesday afternoon so there is a continue possibility of showers and thunderstorms, however, they decrease as the evening progresses tonight and then increase again Tuesday afternoon as we get some more heating and instability is increased again. On Wednesday there is a week upper level wave that moves across the area that may bring some showers/thunderstorms. The rest of the week looks to be under an upper level high and surface high pressure to our southwest which will bring in high humidity and hot temperatures. Thus will have to keep track of the heat index values as they may be approaching the heat advisory criteria later this week. This weekend looks to be unsettled as the upper high is replaced by an upper level trough again and this may bring in a weak frontal system. Temperatures still will be near normal with highs in the 90s. TLSJr && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFs Line of storms developed along I-40 and they are increasing in strength and coverage. Expect downbursts to develop near the storms with lots of lightning. Numerous showers developed in N. Mississippi, and they will develop into thunderstorms this afternoon. Activity should move east and phase out this evening. Southwest winds of 10 to 20 knots will continue through the afternoon. WER && .MEG Watches/Warnings/Advisories... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 404 AM CDT MON JUL 4 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>092-051115- 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- 404 AM CDT MON JUL 4 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL...NORTH MISSISSIPPI...AND WEST TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY INTO THIS EVENING ACROSS THE ENTIRE MIDSOUTH. BEST CHANCES FOR STORMS ALONG AND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...INCLUDING THE MEMPHIS METROPOLITAN AREA...WILL BE FROM 10 AM CDT THROUGH 6 PM CDT. BEST CHANCES FOR STORMS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER WILL BE FROM 1 PM CDT TO 9 PM CDT. DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY STORM THAT BECOMES SEVERE. BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS COULD LEAD TO ISOLATED FLASHING FLOODING. ALSO...WITH ALL THE HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES...THAT REMEMBER THAT LIGHTNING IS A SERIOUS THREAT IN ANY THUNDERSTORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY HEAT WILL BUILD ACROSS THE REGION FROM TUESDAY THROUGH THE WEEK AND POSSIBLY INTO THE WEEKEND. HEAT INDEX VALUES MAY APPROACH 105 DEGREES IN SOME AREAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. SJM
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 312 PM CDT MON JUL 4 2016 ARZ036-MSZ001-TNZ049-088-089-042100- CRITTENDEN AR-DESOTO MS-FAYETTE TN-TIPTON TN-SHELBY TN- 312 PM CDT MON JUL 4 2016 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 400 PM CDT FOR... EAST CENTRAL CRITTENDEN COUNTY IN ARKANSAS... NORTHEASTERN DESOTO COUNTY IN MISSISSIPPI... NORTHWESTERN FAYETTE COUNTY IN TENNESSEE... SOUTHEASTERN TIPTON COUNTY IN TENNESSEE... SHELBY COUNTY IN TENNESSEE... AT 312 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL OR LARGER AND WINDS AT LEAST 40 MPH WAS LOCATED NEAR BARTLETT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. PEOPLE IN EAST CENTRAL CRITTENDEN...NORTHEASTERN DESOTO... NORTHWESTERN FAYETTE...SOUTHEASTERN TIPTON AND SHELBY COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY. LAT...LON 3537 8983 3540 8941 3494 8982 3497 9025 TIME...MOT...LOC 2012Z 240DEG 49KT 3518 8990
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
403 PM CDT MON JUL 4 2016
TNZ050-088>090-042145-
FAYETTE TN-HARDEMAN TN-HAYWOOD TN-SHELBY TN-
403 PM CDT MON JUL 4 2016
...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 445 PM CDT FOR...
FAYETTE COUNTY IN TENNESSEE...
NORTHWESTERN HARDEMAN COUNTY IN TENNESSEE...
SOUTH CENTRAL HAYWOOD COUNTY IN TENNESSEE...
SOUTHEASTERN SHELBY COUNTY IN TENNESSEE...
AT 403 PM CDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING PEA SIZE HAIL OR
LARGER AND WINDS AT LEAST 40 MPH WAS LOCATED OVER COLLIERVILLE...
MOVING NORTHEAST AT 55 MPH.
VERY HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING ARE
ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.
PEOPLE IN FAYETTE...NORTHWESTERN HARDEMAN...SOUTH CENTRAL HAYWOOD AND
SOUTHEASTERN SHELBY COUNTIES SHOULD MONITOR THIS STORM CLOSELY.
LAT...LON 3517 8899 3499 8949 3499 8982 3512 9002
3553 8920
TIME...MOT...LOC 2103Z 244DEG 47KT 3504 8966The Memphis radar (KNQA), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:54 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees and power lines down in Strayhorn.
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, July 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: 643296.