On Saturday, December 28, all eyes were on the potential for a wintertime severe storm outbreak, mainly to the south of the Memphis metro in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, where damaging wind and long-track tornadoes were forecast. Locally, the metro was on the northern edge of the severe weather outlook area, with a level 2 Slight Risk area extending north roughly to the MS/TN state line. However, the threat of flooding was noted in our blog on the 28th:
“In addition, hours of rainfall – some of it likely heavy and training over the same areas – will produce multiple inches of rain. Widespread 2-3 inch totals are expected with some localized areas possible seeing 4-5 inches of rain.“
With low pressure passing basically overhead during the evening and sufficiently unstable air to support severe storms remaining to our south, a flash flood event did indeed unfold during the late afternoon and early evening, as heavy rain and thunderstorms trained across the metro.
Event recap
Rain arrived in the metro by early afternoon and picked up in intensity after 3pm as the first Flood Advisory was issued for Shelby County. The first Flash Flood Warning, for southern Shelby County, was issued about 30 minutes later. With heavy rain continuing along the I-55 corridor in DeSoto County and through the middle of Shelby County, a new Flash Flood Warning was issued for both counties at about 6:30pm.
Around that time, I-55 eastbound on the Memphis side of the Mississippi River bridge was shut down due to flooding near McLemore. There were also reports of vehicles disabled in flood waters in Frayser and water rescues in Millington. along with road closures across central DeSoto County, where reports of multiple inches of rain had fallen in the Hernando and Horn Lake areas. After 9pm, heavy rain shifted east of the flooded areas, but light rain would continue to fall on the back side of the departing low pressure area until after sunrise Sunday morning.
Rainfall totals and records
When all was said and done, the rainfall total for Memphis International Airport (the official observing station for Memphis) on December 28 was 4.44 inches, which set a daily rainfall record for the date and also the wettest day of 2024 and the second wettest in the past eight years. (Another 0.45 inches of rain fell on 29th.) At MWN headquarters in Bartlett, 3.98 inches of rain was recorded from the event.
Below are a few maps showing rainfall totals. First, a graphic produced by NWS-Memphis showing estimated totals for the entire Mid-South, another with a radar-estimate of totals in the metro, and the last from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) network of citizen precipitation reporters. Finally, a full list of reports received by the National Weather Service in Memphis of over 2″.
Unofficial rainfall reports received by NWS-Memphis through the morning of Dec. 29
Location Amount Time/Date Lat/Lon
Lyon 6.7 NE 5.40 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.29N/90.46W
4.3 SE Midtown Memphis 5.20 in 1245 PM 12/29 35.08N/89.95W
Memphis 4.89 in 1254 PM 12/29 35.07N/89.98W
Atoka 4.89 in 1254 PM 12/29 35.42N/89.76W
4.1 N Coldwater 4.82 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.75N/89.98W
Pleasant Hill 4.71 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.90N/89.90W
Southaven 4.8 SE 4.71 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.92N/89.94W
3.3 NW Frayser 4.66 in 1200 PM 12/29 35.26N/89.99W
4.1 S Millington 4.46 in 1245 PM 12/29 35.27N/89.89W
Clarksdale 2.9 SW 4.37 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.18N/90.62W
Bartlett 2.5 SW 4.20 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.19N/89.87W
Bartlett 1.9 SSW 4.15 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.19N/89.85W
BARTLETT 4.01 in 0100 PM 12/29 35.23N/89.82W
Bartlett 2.3 N 3.98 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.25N/89.84W
MSU MAFES HOLLY SPRINGS 4 N 3.90 in 1215 PM 12/29 34.82N/89.43W
Hernando 2.7 ESE 3.75 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.81N/89.94W
3 NE Bartlett 3.74 in 0100 PM 12/29 35.25N/89.81W
Arlington 3.73 in 1259 PM 12/29 35.25N/89.84W
1.7 W Millington 3.69 in 1200 PM 12/29 35.33N/89.92W
Gilt Edge 3.59 in 0100 PM 12/29 35.53N/89.81W
Bartlett 3.55 in 1250 PM 12/29 35.22N/89.81W
Arlington 7.1 WNW 3.51 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.31N/89.79W
West Memphis 3.40 in 0800 AM 12/29 35.12N/90.18W
Bartlett 1.3 ENE 3.36 in 0600 AM 12/29 35.22N/89.81W
Bartlett 3.1 NNE 3.35 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.25N/89.81W
Bartlett 3.29 in 1245 PM 12/29 35.22N/89.87W
Arlington 3.27 in 1255 PM 12/29 35.27N/89.69W
Dyersburg 3.24 in 1207 PM 12/29 35.99N/89.41W
Mason 3.17 in 1257 PM 12/29 35.45N/89.63W
5.8 S Munford 3.16 in 1200 PM 12/29 35.37N/89.80W
Nesbit 3.15 in 1255 PM 12/29 34.90N/89.90W
1 NNE Lakeland 3.13 in 1255 PM 12/29 35.26N/89.72W
Atoka 3.2 ESE 3.08 in 0755 AM 12/29 35.43N/89.72W
Bartlett 3.8 E 2.94 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.22N/89.77W
3.1 SW Germantown 2.86 in 1245 PM 12/29 35.05N/89.82W
Rosemark 2.83 in 1259 PM 12/29 35.38N/89.77W
1 S Portageville 2.81 in 1250 PM 12/29 36.41N/89.70W
2 NNW Ripley 2.80 in 1255 PM 12/29 35.78N/89.54W
UNION CITY 2.78 in 1256 PM 12/29 36.44N/89.21W
4.9 S Brownsville 2.70 in 1200 PM 12/29 35.52N/89.25W
Hayward (Lee Farm) 2.69 in 1255 PM 12/29 36.40N/89.61W
2.9 W Millsfield 2.66 in 1200 PM 12/29 36.13N/89.43W
5.3 W Crumrod 2.63 in 1200 PM 12/29 34.18N/91.07W
Brownsville 2.62 in 0800 AM 12/29 35.59N/89.26W
Covington 2.59 in 1219 PM 12/29 35.59N/89.59W
Blytheville 6.1 E 2.58 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.95N/89.82W
Blytheville 2.58 in 1253 PM 12/29 35.93N/89.83W
Somerville 1.3 E 2.55 in 0600 AM 12/29 35.24N/89.33W
Union City 1.4 SSE 2.55 in 0800 AM 12/29 36.40N/89.04W
Holly Springs 11.5 NNW 2.54 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.93N/89.50W
Bartlett 2.54 in 1248 PM 12/29 35.22N/89.83W
Jackson 2.52 in 1259 PM 12/29 35.71N/88.82W
Blytheville 0.9 NE 2.49 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.94N/89.91W
Jackson 5.3 N 2.48 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.71N/88.82W
4 NE Jackson 2.48 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.71N/88.71W
Olive Branch 2.48 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.94N/89.85W
Olive Branch 0.1 SSW 2.47 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.95N/89.83W
2.9 E Germantown 2.47 in 0750 AM 12/29 35.08N/89.74W
UNION CITY 2.45 in 1257 PM 12/29 36.46N/89.19W
Jackson 0.5 SE 2.43 in 0820 AM 12/29 35.63N/88.82W
Somerville 8.9 N 2.39 in 0630 AM 12/29 35.37N/89.35W
Somerville 10 N 2.39 in 0630 AM 12/29 35.39N/89.37W
Tunica 2.39 in 1255 PM 12/29 34.68N/90.35W
Olive Branch 2.36 in 0100 PM 12/29 34.95N/89.83W
Germantown 2.35 in 0100 PM 12/29 35.10N/89.81W
Stanton 8.8 E 2.32 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.45N/89.25W
4 ESE Bobo 2.29 in 1255 PM 12/29 34.10N/90.61W
Jackson 4.3 N 2.28 in 0600 AM 12/29 35.70N/88.84W
Marianna 2.27 in 1239 PM 12/29 34.76N/90.72W
Dyersburg 7.7 E 2.25 in 0700 AM 12/29 36.03N/89.24W
Martin 2.25 in 1259 PM 12/29 36.36N/88.90W
2.5 W Fulton 2.24 in 1200 PM 12/29 34.27N/88.45W
0.6 SW Marked Tree 2.22 in 1200 PM 12/29 35.52N/90.43W
Atwood 0.8 WSW 2.20 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.97N/88.68W
Newbern 1.0 WSW 2.19 in 0700 AM 12/29 36.11N/89.28W
1.4 NE Marianna 2.19 in 1200 PM 12/29 34.79N/90.75W
3 SSE Germantown 2.17 in 0100 PM 12/29 35.04N/89.78W
West Memphis 2.14 in 1253 PM 12/29 35.14N/90.23W
Jonesboro 4 N 2.13 in 0600 AM 12/29 35.88N/90.70W
Jackson 6.1 SSE 2.13 in 0935 AM 12/29 35.56N/88.78W
Palmersville 2.11 in 1255 PM 12/29 36.36N/88.57W
Jackson 9.3 NE 2.10 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.73N/88.71W
Bolivar 2.10 in 1245 PM 12/29 35.29N/89.02W
Burlison 2.10 in 1255 PM 12/29 35.55N/89.78W
Abbeville 8.2 SE 2.07 in 0800 AM 12/29 34.44N/89.38W
1.7 W Downtown Memphis 2.07 in 1200 PM 12/29 35.12N/90.08W
4 SSW Fairview 2.07 in 1259 PM 12/29 35.70N/88.89W
Humboldt 2.05 in 0100 PM 12/29 35.81N/88.87W
Humboldt 7.7 NNE 2.03 in 0700 AM 12/29 35.93N/88.87W
Jackson 6.7 ESE 2.02 in 0800 AM 12/29 35.58N/88.73W
4 E Roellen 2.02 in 1200 PM 12/29 36.02N/89.17W
Water Valley 0.5 SW 2.01 in 0700 AM 12/29 34.16N/89.64W
Dresden Water Plant 2.01 in 0848 AM 12/29 36.28N/88.70W
3 NE Kenton 2.01 in 1200 PM 12/29 36.25N/88.97W
Harrisburg 2.01 in 1210 PM 12/29 35.57N/90.71W
COLLIERVILLE 2.01 in 1257 PM 12/29 35.05N/89.67W
Cottage Grove 1.6 WSW 2.00 in 0700 AM 12/29 36.37N/88.50W
Do you have a rain gauge in your backyard? How much rain did you get? Drop it in the comments – we’d love to know how reports vary across the area!
Erik Proseus
MWN Meteorologist
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