A warm front lifted north through the Mid-South during the morning hours of April 6, 2016. After the front moved through, gusty southerly winds developed across much of the region.
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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 front lifted north through the Mid-South during the morning hours of April 6, 2016. After the front moved through, gusty southerly winds developed across much of the region. Wind gusts up to 45 mph were reported. Later in the afternoon a cold front moved through and interacted with a marginally unstable airmass to produce numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms. Isolated wind damage occurred in Northwest Tennessee and a couple of lightning related injuries occurred in the Memphis area.
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 Apr 6, 11:53 AM CST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 1253 PM CDT WED APR 6 2016 .UPDATE... UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1025 AM CDT WED APR 6 2016/ UPDATE... CURRENTLY... AT 10 AM AROUND THE MIDSOUTH A WARM FRONT WAS LIFTING NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE REGION RESULTING IN SEVERAL WARM ADVECTION SHOWERS ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND WEST TENNESSEE. INCREASED POPS IN THOSE AREAS THROUGH THE REST OF THE MORNING AS A RESULT. TEMPERATURES ARE WARMING IN EARNEST BEHIND THIS FEATURE SO TEMPS HAVE SLIGHTLY BEEN ALTERED UPWARD PRIMARILY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE FA. WINDS HAVE BEEN SUSTAINED AT 15-20 KTS AT MANY SITES WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 27 KTS... BUT SHOULD REMAIN BELOW WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA. THE CURRENT FORECAST IS ON TRACK WITH SHOWERS AND STORMS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AFTER NOON FOR EASTERN ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL AND AN HOUR OR SO AFTER FOR AREAS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. NO CHANGES TO THE ANTICIPATED THREATS AS INSTABILITY WILL REMAIN LIMITED AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL STRUGGLE TO INCREASE AHEAD OF THE RAPIDLY ADVANCING COLD FRONT...DESPITE FAVORABLE DYNAMICS ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FA WITH A 300MB JET STREAK LEFT EXIT REGION CONDUCIVE TO UPPER DIVERGENCE LOCATED OVER THESE LOCALES. THUS SOME GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL STILL LIKELY FOR THESE AREAS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ZDM && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 444 AM CDT WED APR 6 2016/ DISCUSSION...09Z SURFACE ANALYSIS PLACES A WARM FRONT FROM SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI NORTHWEST BACK THROUGH CENTRAL ARKANSAS AND UP INTO SOUTHWEST MISSOURI. INFRARED SATELLITE TRENDS SHOW MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES ACROSS MUCH OF THE MID SOUTH AS A WARM FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA. AS OF 4 AM CDT...TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S NEAR THE TENNESSEE RIVER...AND MIDDLE 50S TOWARDS THE LOWER 60S ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA. SHORT TERM MODEL TRENDS INDICATE A WARM FRONT WILL PUSH NORTH THROUGH THE MID SOUTH THIS MORNING. A TRAILING COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO APPROACH NORTHEAST ARKANSAS AND THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL TOWARDS EARLY AFTERNOON AND ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE MID SOUTH FROM MID AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF AN 120 KT 300 MB UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE FAVORABLE DIVERGENCE ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST TENNESSEE AND NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. OVERALL SHEAR IS ANTICIPATED TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY. HOWEVER...AS IN PREVIOUS FORECASTS THE QUALITY OF INSTABILITY IS ANTICIPATED TO BE LESS THAN IDEAL DUE TO THE LACK OF ADEQUATE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FROM THE GULF OF MEXICO. THUS...OVERALL CONFIDENCE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS REMAINS LOW AT THIS TIME. NONETHELESS...A POTENTIAL WILL EXIST FOR A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING GUSTY WINDS AND PERHAPS SOME SMALL HAIL DURING THIS TIME FRAME ACROSS THE AFOREMENTIONED AREAS. REGIONAL WSR-88D VAD WIND PROFILES INDICATE A LOW LEVEL JET PRESENT ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY EARLY THIS MORNING AS 925 MB WINDS ARE AVERAGING BETWEEN 35-45 KTS. 00Z GUIDANCE SUGGESTS WINDS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA THROUGH THIS EVENING. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR TRENDS THIS MORNING IN THE EVENT 1000-2000 FT WINDS ARE ABLE TO MIX DOWN TOWARDS THE SURFACE. A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED IF TRENDS SUGGEST THIS SCENARIO WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA. MODELS INDICATE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING...BRINGING AN END TO SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. A REINFORCING COLD FRONT MAY BRING ISOLATED RAIN CHANCES TO PORTIONS OF WEST TENNESSEE THURSDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. LONG TERM MODEL TRENDS INDICATE A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. ANOTHER APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT BY EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BRING ADDITIONAL SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. HOWEVER...MODEL RUN TO RUN CONTINUITY ISSUES CONTINUE TO PLAGUE THE LATTER HALF OF THE LONG TERM FORECAST AND CONFIDENCE IN RAIN CHANCES REMAIN ON THE LOW END FOR NOW. CJC && .AVIATION... 18Z TAFS A COLD FRONT OVER CENTRAL ARKANSAS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FROM MID AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY EVENING. TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL PROVIDE STRONG S-SW WINDS. A LINE OF SHRA/TSRA WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT LASTING 1-2 HOURS. CIGS/VSBY SHOULD REMAIN VFR. WINDS WILL BECOME W-NW BEHIND THE FRONT AND DECREASE THIS EVENING ALONG WITH DECREASING CLOUDS. SWC && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...NONE. MO...NONE. MS...NONE. TN...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN 446 AM CDT WED APR 6 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>092-071215- 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- 446 AM CDT WED APR 6 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 THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME.
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:55 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 strong wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Straight line winds damaged the roof and siding of a home. A privacy fence was downed along with a few trees.
Strong winds uprooted a tree that fell on a home in Milan on Lea Lane.
Two airport workers at Memphis International Airport suffered injuries from a lightning strike.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, April 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: 631150, 631151, 631153.