Mississippi, 2024

Excessive Heat and Heat in Mississippi, August 18, 2024

August 18, 2024 · NWS MEG · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

As a cold front approached the region, excessive moisture and heat pooled across parts of the Mid-South. Dewpoints surged into the mid-70s ahead of the slow-moving front resulting in heat indices between 105 and 114 degrees for southwestern portions of the Mid-South.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MEG wrote it up.

As a cold front approached the region, excessive moisture and heat pooled across parts of the Mid-South. Dewpoints surged into the mid-70s ahead of the slow-moving front resulting in heat indices between 105 and 114 degrees for southwestern portions of the Mid-South.

What forecasters said that day

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 17, 5:38 PM CST, 16 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 17, 5:38 PM CST, 16 hours 22 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 heat, 3 excessive heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Excessive Heat, Coahoma

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Coahoma forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.229, -90.603 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices in excess of 110 degrees.

Excessive Heat, Quitman

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Quitman forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.251, -90.289 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices in excess of 110 degrees.

Excessive Heat, Tallahatchie

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Tallahatchie forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
33.951, -90.173 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices in excess of 110 degrees.

Heat, Tunica

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Tunica forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.652, -90.375 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Tate

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Tate forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.650, -89.945 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Panola

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Panola forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.364, -89.951 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Yalobusha

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Yalobusha forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.028, -89.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Calhoun

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Calhoun forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
33.937, -89.336 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Chickasaw

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Chickasaw forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
33.921, -88.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Monroe

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Monroe forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
33.892, -88.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Lafayette

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lafayette forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.357, -89.485 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Pontotoc

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Pontotoc forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.225, -89.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Union

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Union forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.491, -89.004 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Itawamba

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Itawamba forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
34.280, -88.361 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

Heat, Lee

When
August 18, 10:00 AM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lee forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
34.290, -88.680 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat indices between 105 and 109 degrees.

What these are

Excessive Heat
Heat at or above the local excessive heat warning criteria, or heat that caused deaths.
Heat
Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Mississippi in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Mississippi, August 2024

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1212365, 1212366, 1212367, 1212370, 1212371, 1212372, 1212373, 1212374, 1212375, 1212376, 1212379, 1212381, 1212383, 1212385, 1212387.