Memphis Summer Storm of 2003

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Damage to the Gibson Memphis Showcase following the storm. Damage do the FedEx Forum(still under construction) can be seen in the background.

On July 22, 2003, a derecho with straight-line winds in excess of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) struck Shelby and Fayette Counties in Tennessee, including the city of Memphis. The storm passed through the area between 6 and 7 am.

Over 300,000 homes, 70% of Shelby County, were left without power in the wake of the storm. Two individuals were left dead as a direct result of the storm, with several more deaths due to fires caused by unattended candles or generator accidents.

This storm was very similar to one that hit Kansas City, MO in June 1982.

The storm became commonly known in the area as "Hurricane Elvis" as its winds were at the level of a Category 2 hurricane. As the storm crossed the Mississippi River into downtown Memphis, a barge recorded an unofficial wind reading of 108 mph (174 km/h). The National Weather Service refers to the storm as the "Mid South Derecho of 2003".

A tree uprooted by the derecho.

It took two weeks to restore power to all of those who had lost it in the storm. Temperatures reached past 90°F (32°C) leaving many residents unprotected from dangerously hot conditions. Many Memphians were distressed that though they had survived hurricane-like conditions and weeks without power, little national news coverage was given to the event. Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton said in a CNBC interview that he was "Feeling a bit lonely, because it seems that from a national perspective it never happened. We suffered a 'dry-land hurricane'... yet we see on the national news over in Galveston, they got more coverage on a hurricane that never did occur." In contrast, less than a month later, national news coverage was extensive when New York City residents were left without power for a few hours.