Isolated severe thunderstorms produced severe hail in an unstable environment across portions of northeast Arkansas and the Bootheel of Missouri during the early evening hours of March 17th.
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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.
Isolated severe thunderstorms produced severe hail in an unstable environment across portions of northeast Arkansas and the Bootheel of Missouri during the early evening hours of March 17th.
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 Mar 17, 2:10 PM CST, 3 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Memphis TN 310 PM CDT Fri Mar 17 2017 .DISCUSSION... Skies are partly cloudy across the forecast area this afternoon with temperatures ranging from the mid 50s to lower 70s. Currently, a few light showers are moving northern sections of the forecast area. A cold front currently stretches from northern Illinois through southwest Missouri and into northwest Texas. As the front moves southeast tonight, some showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected to develop ahead of the front and move through the forecast area. Most areas should not see any severe weather, but an isolated thunderstorms with large hail is not out of the question. Temperatures will be relatively mild tonight with lows Saturday morning in the upper 40s to upper 50s. The cold front will move out of north Mississippi Saturday morning with a few showers possible along and just behind the front. High pressure will start to build into the region by the afternoon hours. The air behind this cold front is not much cooler than ahead of it so temperatures will remain on the warm side with highs in the mid 60s to lower 70s. High pressure will remain in control of the weather for the remainder of the weekend. It will remain dry for the period from Saturday night through Sunday night. Temperatures have been on the cool side Saturday night with lows Sunday morning in the upper 30s to mid 40s. Temperatures on Sunday will be a little cooler than Saturday with highs mainly in the 60s. A cold front will approach the region on Monday with some thunderstorms possible over extreme northern sections of the forecast area. Monday will be the warmest day of the forecast period with highs approaching 80 degrees over the southern half of the forecast area. The cold front will move into the forecast area Monday night and then move south into central Mississippi on Tuesday. This will mean more showers and thunderstorms are expected for both periods. The models differ on what happens to this front on Tuesday night through Wednesday night with regards to its location and how much of the front remains. With the front expected to somewhere in the vicinity of the forecast area, a few showers and thunderstorms will be possible from Tuesday night through Wednesday night. A warm front will lift north through the forecast area on Thursday bringing more showers and thunderstorms with it. A significant storm system is expected to move into the central Plains Thursday night and move east next Friday. This system will start to spread showers and thunderstorms starting Thursday night and continuing through next Friday. ARS && .AVIATION...18Z TAFs A cold front will move through the Midsouth late tonight into early Saturday. Showers and a few thunderstorms will occur ahead of the front, mainly tonight. MVFR conditions will prevail this afternoon and evening followed by IFR conditions overnight ahead of the front. VFR conditions will occur immediately behind the front into Saturday. Gusty S-SW winds will veer to the W tonight and decrease in velocity then becoming N-NW behind the cold front early Saturday. SWC && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Memphis TN 438 AM CDT Fri Mar 17 2017 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-181145- 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- 438 AM CDT Fri Mar 17 2017 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of East Arkansas... the Missouri Bootheel...North Mississippi...and West Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday The probability for widespread hazardous weather is low. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time. JLH
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:47 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail damaged an auto windshield.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, March 2017
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: 685063.