A weak frontal boundary was capable of producing a line of marginally severe thunderstorms across portions of northwest Tennessee during the early evening hours of March 24th.
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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 weak frontal boundary was capable of producing a line of marginally severe thunderstorms across portions of northwest Tennessee during the early evening hours of March 24th.
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 24, 5:36 PM CST, 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Memphis TN 636 PM CDT Sat Mar 24 2018 .UPDATE... Updated for 00Z Aviation Forecast Discussion below. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 318 PM CDT Sat Mar 24 2018/ DISCUSSION...Surface analysis this afternoon places a surface low just southeast of Rolla, Missouri with a trailing cold front over South Central Missouri and into Northwest Arkansas. Visible satellite trends indicate cloudy skies generally along and south of I-40 with decreasing cloud cover elsewhere. As of 2 PM CDT, temperatures across the Mid-South are in the 60s to lower 70s along and south of I-40 and lower to middle 70s where clouds have decreased elsewhere. A surface low over Missouri is expected to move east into Western Kentucky tonight. Instability has increased over portions of Northwest Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel where coverage of cloud cover has been less. Short term models including short term CAM models suggest a narrow window potential for focused shower and thunderstorm development across portions of Northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel and West Tennessee as the southeast moving surface low encounters marginal mid-level forcing. A strong to perhaps an isolated severe thunderstorm will be possible through mid evening with hail being the primary threat if any thunderstorm can reach severe limits. The surface low will move away from the area into Sunday morning with the cold front dropping into Central and Southern Mississippi on Sunday. This front is expected to return back north as a warm front across the Lower Mississippi Valley Sunday night into Monday with shower and thunderstorm chances returning. Rain chances will decrease on Monday as the focus for convective activity shifts north and west of the forecast area. Long term model trends suggest another front will move into the Lower Mississippi Valley towards the middle of next week bringing rain chances back to the region. A period of heavy rainfall is still possible between the Tuesday night through Thursday timeframe. However, some disagreements including placement and amounts have developed over the past couple of runs. Will leave the mention of heavy rainfall in the Hazardous Weather Outlook for now and adjust if necessary in subsequent forecasts. CJC && .AVIATION... 00Z TAFs VFR developed late afternoon, in a clear slot rounding the base of an upper low over southern MO. Main forecast challenge is post- cold frontal MVFR development behind the departing low this evening. TAFs reflect a NAM/GFS LAMP guidance consensus, but a little less pessimistic given trends on GOES East imagery. PWB && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Memphis TN 328 PM CDT Sat Mar 24 2018 ARZ008-009-017-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115- MSZ001>017-020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-252230- 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- 328 PM CDT Sat Mar 24 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of East Arkansas... the Missouri Bootheel...North Mississippi...and West Tennessee. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight There is a marginal risk for an isolated severe thunderstorm or two across portions of Northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel and portions of West Tennessee north of I-40 through mid-evening. Hail will be the primary threat if any thunderstorm can reach severe limits. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Heavy rainfall will be possible across the Mid-South Tuesday night through Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed for a short period of time through mid-evening.
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Memphis TN 638 PM CDT SAT MAR 24 2018 TNZ002-003-250015- Weakley TN-Obion TN- 638 PM CDT SAT MAR 24 2018 ...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR... Northwestern Weakley County in northwestern Tennessee... Northeastern Obion County in northwestern Tennessee... At 637 PM CDT...a strong thunderstorm producing dime size hail and wind gusts to 40 mph was located near Hickman, moving southeast at 30 mph. People in northwestern Weakley and northeastern Obion Counties should monitor this storm closely. LAT...LON 3629 8877 3647 8927 3651 8925 3650 8867 TIME...MOT...LOC 2337Z 282DEG 26KT 3652 8914
The Paducah radar (KPAH), 70 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:53 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A few trees down near Claude Tucker Road. Also, an above-ground pool flipped over onto a privacy fence in the same area.
Quarter sized hail and winds estimated around 50 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, March 2018
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: 741241, 741242.