Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Memphis Metro and Northwest Mississippi Through 11:15 AM
According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, the CDC PLACES population-level health analysis, and the CMS Hospital Compare quality data, Areazine publishes editorial articles drawing on more than 19,000 U.S. city profiles. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton counties in Tennessee and DeSoto and Marshall counties in Mississippi until 11:15 AM CST.
What this NWS weather alert tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by NOAA on March 13, 2026 and geographically references West Tennessee and Northwest Mississippi. Its severity classification of "high" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken — "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to — Weather Alerts — determines the regulatory framework behind it, which shapes what remedies (refunds, replacements, recalls, evacuations) are available to affected individuals and who holds statutory responsibility for enforcement.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to read it as a data point about the issuing system: how quickly NOAA detected the hazard, how precise the geographic or product-identifier scope is, and whether similar notices have clustered in the same category or region in the last 90 days. Cluster patterns frequently precede a broader regulatory action — a single localized NWS weather alert is isolated; three of them within a quarter often indicate a supply-chain, infrastructure, or seasonal driver that will keep producing notices until something structural changes.
For decision-making, Areazine pairs each alert with the original agency URL, the full agency name, and a timestamp so you can verify the notice against the primary source before acting on it. Tags on this item (weather, alert, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Tennessee) map to related alerts in the same area of risk — browsing them together gives a clearer picture than any single notice alone, because the shape of an ongoing issue only becomes visible across multiple sequential alerts.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Memphis has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for portions of west Tennessee and northwestern Mississippi. The alert was issued at 10:32 AM CST and remains in effect until 11:15 AM CST.
Affected Areas
The warning covers the following geographic regions:
- West Tennessee: Shelby County, Fayette County, and southeastern Tipton County.
- Northwestern Mississippi: Northeastern DeSoto County and northwestern Marshall County.
Specific locations impacted include Memphis, Bartlett, Southaven, Collierville, Germantown, Olive Branch, Horn Lake, Millington, Cordova, Lakeland, Arlington, Somerville, Byhalia, Walls, Mt Pleasant, Ellendale, Whitehaven, Midtown Memphis, and Lynchburg.
Travelers should be aware of hazardous conditions on the following highways:
- Interstate 40 in Tennessee between mile markers 5 and 43.
- Interstate 22 in Mississippi between mile markers 1 and 13.
- Interstate 240 between mile markers 12 and 30.
- Interstate 55 in Tennessee (mile markers 1-9) and Mississippi (mile markers 287-292).
What You Should Do
For your protection, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. Residents must remain alert for a possible tornado, as tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado, go at once to a storm shelter or a small central room in a sturdy structure.
Expected Conditions
At 10:32 AM CST, radar indicated a severe thunderstorm located over Horn Lake, moving east at 40 mph. The storm is capable of producing 60 mph wind gusts. Expected impacts include damage to roofs, siding, and trees.
Timeline
The warning is effective immediately as of 10:32 AM CST and is scheduled to expire at 11:15 AM CST on March 7, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
Related Weather Alerts
All Weather Alerts →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this NWS weather alert.
What is this NWS weather alert about? ▾
Which agency issued this alert? ▾
How severe is this alert? ▾
What area is affected? ▾
Where can I find more Weather Alerts updates? ▾
Primary source data
EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data
Federal monitoring network — every measurement we report
AirNow (EPA / NOAA)
Real-time AQI for every monitored U.S. location
National Weather Service
Active watches, warnings, and advisories — NOAA
CDC Air Quality & Health
Health-impact reference behind every AQI category