A warm front was slowly lifting north across the Mid-South on December 5th, 2021, bringing isolated thunderstorms, hail and strong wind.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 was slowly lifting north across the Mid-South on December 5th, 2021, bringing isolated thunderstorms, hail and strong wind.
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 Dec 5, 3:57 PM CST, 7 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Memphis TN 357 PM CST Sun Dec 5 2021 .DISCUSSION... Showers and a few storms have been ongoing this afternoon across the Mid South. We expect a lull in the action for the next few hours before a cold front starts to move into the region later on tonight. The Storm Prediction Center continues to carry a Slight Risk for severe weather tonight into Monday morning for a large portion of the forecast area. We expect showers and storms to develop sometime after 10 PM this evening along that front as it moves south. The biggest question still remains is if any convection will really take advantage of the kinematics that this system would provide if storms can become surface based. Looking at the soundings this afternoon an inversion is still being shown for portions of the area as the best convection moves through. That's not to say that this will be a non event, but there is a conditional component to this event. The shear will not be a problem and helicity will begin to pile up along the front as well...embedded within the convection. This would point to a QLCS type event with bowing lines and segments that could produce damaging winds and a few tornadoes if it is able to take advantage of the atmosphere in place. The best chances to see severe weather look to be mainly north of I-40 and as the system moves in the profiles become less favorable for deeper convection. The good news is that this system should be out of the area after 10 AM...and we will clear out for the afternoon and evening hours. The active pattern continues through the week. The next impulse looks to move through by mid week. As of now it looks like most of the precip will be off to the south and east of the area. Have maintained some light POPs during that time frame as well. Southwesterly flow aloft will develop late in the week, with deeper moisture return and warm advection showers possible by Friday...and another system bringing the chance of some thunderstorms again by Saturday. && .AVIATION... Latest KNQA radar shows scattered showers and a few thunderstorms crossing the MS River and tracking NE at this hour. Widespread IFR/LIFR conditions are slowly starting to improve. The 3 eastern TAF sites might make it to VFR late this afternoon but not as confident that JBR will. Conditions will start to deteriorate again ahead of the front that will bring more showers and storms this evening into the overnight hours. Expect gusty S/SW winds with low cigs and vis and accompanying showers/storms as the front moves through. Maintained WS020 at MEM and introduced this at MKL tonight. Conditions will gradually improve and winds will shift to the NW with the FROPA Monday mid- morning. && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Memphis TN 104 PM CST Sun Dec 5 2021 ARZ009-018-026>028-035-036-048-049-058-MOZ113-115-MSZ001>017- 020>024-TNZ001>004-019>022-048>055-088>092-062115- 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-Lee AR-Lee MS- Madison-Marshall-McNairy-Mississippi-Monroe-Obion-Panola-Pemiscot- Phillips-Poinsett-Pontotoc-Prentiss-Quitman-Shelby-St. Francis- Tallahatchie-Tate-Tippah-Tipton-Tishomingo-Tunica-Union-Weakley- Yalobusha- 104 PM CST Sun Dec 5 2021 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 Slight Risk for severe thunderstorms late tonight and early Monday morning over most of the Midsouth, specifically, north of a line from Charleston to Oxford to Savannah. Primary severe weather threat will be damaging winds. Secondary threats include brief tornadoes and flash flooding. Additionally, a secondary threat for large hail will exist over northeast Arkansas and the Missouri bootheel in the early overnight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday There is a Marginal Risk for severe thunderstorms Monday morning, over east central Arkansas, most of north Mississippi, and portions of southwest Tennessee near the Tennessee River. Primary threat will be damaging winds. Secondary threat will be flash flooding. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed late tonight.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Memphis TN
400 PM CST Sun Dec 5 2021
TNZ052-053-090-052230-
Hardeman TN-Chester TN-Madison TN-
400 PM CST Sun Dec 5 2021
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern
Hardeman, south central Madison and west central Chester Counties
through 430 PM CST...
At 400 PM CST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Chickasaw State Forest, moving northeast at 30 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Henderson, Chickasaw State Park, Chickasaw State Forest, Silerton,
Toone, Medon, Deanburg, Pinson, Teague, Montezuma and Parkburg.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3529 8901 3536 8908 3554 8874 3537 8860
TIME...MOT...LOC 2200Z 244DEG 27KT 3537 8892
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...30 MPHThe Memphis radar (KNQA), 84 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:03 UTC.
2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A fast-moving storm with small hail that quickly grew to 1 inch sized hail struck Toone.
A thunderstorm moved over the Lexington area dropping nickel sized hail.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, December 2021
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: 996487, 996488.