The National Weather Service office in Memphis is putting the Mid‑South on alert for isolated severe thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening, with damaging straight‑line winds pegged as the main concern and a smaller but real risk of a few tornadoes and large hail in the mix. Forecasters have circled roughly 2 to 8 p.m. as the prime window for storms, with the highest odds focused on the Missouri Bootheel and northeast Arkansas. Local emergency managers are already pushing out NWS graphics and photos that spotlight pockets with especially elevated wind‑gust probabilities.
What The NWS Maps Are Saying
According to NWS Memphis, probabilistic graphics issued early Wednesday show very high odds of wind gusts of 40 mph or higher across northeast Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel. The map pins Blytheville at roughly 95% and Corning near 74%, with Jonesboro just over 70% and Memphis around 39% for gusts of at least 40 mph in Thursday’s outlook. In the same briefing, forecasters stress that damaging winds are the primary threat, while noting that an isolated tornado or large hail cannot be ruled out in the higher‑probability corridor.
Local Agencies Turn Up The Volume
Photos of the NWS outlook were shared by Decatur County Emergency Management, highlighting that the more elevated risk is generally north of I‑40. Local weather outlets and blogs have been echoing that message as spring severe season ramps up across the Mid‑South, with a similar tone in reporting from MemphisWeather.net. Emergency managers routinely share NWS visuals like these to help decide whether to activate spotter networks, shelters or wind advisories, so communities in the highlighted bands are being urged to stay flexible and be ready to move quickly if watches or warnings go up.
How To Get Ready
As noted on NWS Memphis, residents should turn on wireless emergency alerts, secure loose outdoor items and have a clear plan to move to an interior room away from windows if storms turn severe. If a warning is issued for your county, move to the lowest interior room, follow instructions from local emergency management and avoid driving into severe thunderstorms.
