An upper level disturbance triggered a few severe thunderstorms capable of very heavy rain and wind damage across portions of west Tennessee during the early afternoon hours of August 11th.
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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.
An upper level disturbance triggered a few severe thunderstorms capable of very heavy rain and wind damage across portions of west Tennessee during the early afternoon hours of August 11th.
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 11, 11:43 AM CST, 52 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Memphis TN 1243 PM CDT Fri Aug 11 2017 .UPDATE... Updated to include 18z aviation discussion. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 1103 AM CDT Fri Aug 11 2017/ UPDATE... Updated for increased late morning PoPs. DISCUSSION... Convection maintaining itself across northeast Arkansas late this morning...with the anticipation that it will hold together as it crosses the Mississippi River between 1-3pm. Have increased rain chances to likely in this zone. JAB DISCUSSION... /issued 413 AM CDT Fri Aug 11 2017/ Weak west/northwest flow aloft will prevail over the Midsouth through early next week. Weak disturbances, some borne from upstream convective complexes over the plains, will elevate measurable rain chances a little over what is typical for mid- August. Lower than normal midlevel heights and increased cloud cover will help hold daytime highs a couple degrees below normal. Early morning radar mosaic and GOES IR imagery showed a convective complex moving east/southeast through OK, with additional storms to the northeast over southern MO. 00Z models and subsequent rapid update convection allowing models were in decent agreement in showing some of these storms making it into the Midsouth toward midday. It's likely these storms will have generated a mesoscale convective vort (MCV) max, which may phase with a low amplitude trof axis. This would help storms to organize and persist during the heat of the day. By this evening, most of the storms will have ended, with the midlevel trof axis and MCV having moved off to the east. A weak cold front will push south and may serve as a focus for a few remaining showers and storms over north MS this evening. This front will likely drop to central MS late tonight. Slightly drier air will drop into west TN Saturday, with best rain chances mainly south over north MS- higher to the south near the stalled front over central MS. What's left of the front will lift back north into the Midsouth on Sunday, in advance of a weak midlevel shortwave. Little change will occur in the overall pattern early next week. By Wednesday, midlevel heights begin to build, as a 594dm 500mb height ridge center moves into LA/and southern MS. Late week temps will likely increase to slightly above normal. Northern portions of the Midsouth (northeast AR, the MO bootheel and northwest TN) will remain the southern extent of the westerlies and may see thunderstorm chances continue through late next week. Deeper into the ridge, over the remainder of the Midsouth, GFS PoPs and QPF appear a bit overdone, particularly at night. Forecast PoPs in the extended have been pulled back a little over the I-40 corridor southward. PWB && .AVIATION... 18z TAF Cycle A line of convection currently impacting KJBR will gradually move SE this afternoon, affecting KMEM and KMKL. Have handled current thinking on timing with TEMPO for potential MVFR conditions due to lowered visibility. Latest HRRR guidance suggests more convection possible tonight after sunset, thus kept VCTS into the overnight. The exception to this is KTUP, where VCSH is likely this evening and tonight. Winds from the SW less than 7 kts this afternoon will become lighter overnight, and become more northerly by the end of the period. ZDM && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Memphis TN 308 AM CDT Fri Aug 11 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>092-121015- 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- 308 AM CDT Fri Aug 11 2017 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 will be possible through midevening. Gusty winds and localized heavy rainfall will be possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Isolated strong thunderstorms will be possible over the weekend, into the early part of next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time. PWB
The Memphis radar (KNQA), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:35 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
One large tree down in the Meeman/Shelby forest area.
Large limbs split from tree at Yale Road and Brother Boulevard.
Large tree down on South Parkway.
Water on road at least 6-12 inches deep at the intersection of McLemore Avenue and College Street near Stax Museum.
Several trees down around Collierville Elementary school. Some trees fell on cars.
Report of cars flooded at intersection of Houston Levee and Halle Park roads. Drains may be clogged.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, August 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: 712138, 712139, 712140, 712141, 712142, 712143.