The Mid-South was pinched in the warm sector of two frontal boundaries in the early afternoon hours allowing a few strong to severe thunderstorms across Tennessee. A strong cold front aimed to cross the Mid-South later that evening with a primed environment that featured steep lapse rates, plentiful instability, curved hodographs, and plenty of effective shear.
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.
The Mid-South was pinched in the warm sector of two frontal boundaries in the early afternoon hours allowing a few strong to severe thunderstorms across Tennessee. A strong cold front aimed to cross the Mid-South later that evening with a primed environment that featured steep lapse rates, plentiful instability, curved hodographs, and plenty of effective shear. Strong upper level divergence and an intensifying low level jet combined with the environment to produce damaging winds and large hail. Convection continued until shortly after midnight.
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 May 8, 5:26 PM CST, 4 hours 42 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Memphis TN 626 PM CDT Wed May 8 2024 ...New AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 247 PM CDT Wed May 8 2024 Showers and thunderstorms will increase and intensify tonight under a Moderate Risk for severe weather. Destructive winds, very large hail, tornadoes, and heavy rainfall are all possible. The main line window of severe weather is from 7 PM tonight to 6 AM tomorrow morning. After the line exits the region, most of the region will see dry conditions. North Mississippi may see a shower or thunderstorm tomorrow afternoon associated with a upper level disturbance, but a beautiful and dry weekend is in store. Our next chance of widespread showers and thunderstorms will come early next week. && .DISCUSSION... (This evening through next Tuesday) Issued at 247 PM CDT Wed May 8 2024 Convection has started to fire up across West Tennessee as of 2 PM. Pinched in the warm sector of two boundaries is the Mid-South which has allowed convection to initiate. Showers and thunderstorms will become more widespread and increase in intensity this evening ahead of a strong cold front. Strong upper level divergence with a primed environment will allow convection to intensify later tonight. Mesoanalysis from the RAP shows plentiful CAPE values 3000-4000 J/kg, lapse rates around 7 C/km that will continue to steepen, 40-50 kts of effective shear, and curvature to hodographs. The threats for tonight's severe weather threat include destructive winds of 80+mph, quick spin up tornadoes that could be strong, and significant hail of 2" or greater. Most likely timing for the main line arrival is as early as 6 PM in northeast Arkansas, the Missouri Bootheel, and northwest Tennessee. The main severe weather window for the entire Mid-South is 7 PM to 6 AM Thursday. Once the sun sets, the LLJ will begin to intensify and quickly push the line on a south/southeast track across northwest Alabama and northern Mississippi. A Flood Watch is in effect for the northeast corner of our CWA in West Tennessee (Benton, Carroll, Weakley, and Henry counties) as this area has higher probabilities (40-50%) of receiving 2 or more inches of rain tonight. Elsewhere, generally 1.5-2" is forecast through tomorrow morning. Locally higher amounts are possible in any intense updrafts. As storms have begun to fire up as mentioned above, be sure to secure loose outdoor items, prepare for power outages, and have your safe place ready to shelter in when a warning is issued. It is not safe to be in a manufactured home this evening. Please reach out to friends, family, neighbors, or local city/county officials to locate your nearest storm shelter or stay with a friend for a safe space. The line of storms should clear the area by 7 AM at the latest Thursday morning. Another upper level disturbance from the Gulf Region may bring some showers and thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening, mainly along and south of Interstate 40. Some thunderstorms may be strong to severe. On the brighter side, the weekend looks beautiful with dry and seasonable temperatures in the 70s. Temperatures and dewpoints will be on a slow rise as return flow settles in ahead of our next system. Widespread showers and thunderstorms will return Monday afternoon into Tuesday. Currently, no severe weather is anticipated with this system. DNM && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 601 PM CDT Wed May 8 2024 Short-term concerns in the 00Z TAF set continue to be the timing of showers and thunderstorms affecting TAF sites tonight. Latest model trends suggest the best potential for TS at JBR between 2-5Z, 5-8Z at MEM/MKL, and between 7-10Z at TUP. S winds will veer NW with an associated cold front tonight. Post-frontal MVFR ceilings are anticipated late tonight with a return of VFR conditions towards Thursday afternoon. && .MEG WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AR...None. MO...None. MS...None. TN...Flood Watch through Thursday morning for TNZ003-004-021-022. && PUBLIC FORECAST...DNM AVIATION...CJC
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Memphis TN
857 PM CDT Wed May 8 2024
ARZ009-MOZ113-090230-
Clay AR-Dunklin MO-
857 PM CDT Wed May 8 2024
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN CLAY AND NORTH
CENTRAL DUNKLIN COUNTIES THROUGH 930 PM CDT...
At 856 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
McDougal, or 8 miles east of Corning, moving northeast at 30 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Piggott, Chalk Bluff Natural Area, St. Francis, Pollard, McDougal,
Saint Francis, Crockett, Tipperary, Hickoria, Chalk Bluff Battlefield
Park, and Wilhelmina.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 300 AM CDT for eastern
Arkansas...and southeastern Missouri.
&&
LAT...LON 3645 9007 3627 9043 3639 9054 3650 9038
3650 9022 3652 9022 3653 9021 3654 9021
3654 9020 3655 9020 3655 9019 3657 9018
3659 9019 3659 9018
TIME...MOT...LOC 0156Z 234DEG 28KT 3637 9044
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH
AEHThe Memphis radar (KNQA), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:06 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Baseball sized hail (2.75 inches) fell east of the Cash Memorial Conservation Area.
Tree tops removed and several uprooted trees on Falcon Drive in Kennett.
Malden AWOS reported a 62 MPH wind gust.
A tree is down on Patty Lynn Drive.
Trees and powerlines down across the city of Caruthersville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, May 2024
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: 1180688, 1180690, 1180693, 1180691, 1180692.