Alert archive / Tennessee / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 180, NWS Nashville, TN

May 5, 2003Smith County, Wilson County, Tennessee

NWS Nashville, TN issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 2003, 3:55 PM CDT for Smith County, Wilson County, Tennessee. It was in force for 50 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 5, 2003, 3:55 PM CDT (20:55 UTC)
Expired: May 5, 2003, 4:45 PM CDT
In force: 50 min
Issued by: NWS Nashville, TN
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Smith County, TN, Wilson County, TN

The radar

The Nashville radar (KOHX), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:55 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 5, 2:35 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Nashville Metro, TN (KBNA), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 48 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 616 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -70 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 622 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 575 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 604 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.0
Supercell composite: 12.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

041 
WUUS54 KOHX 052055
SVRBNA
TNC159-189-052145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
354 PM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SMITH COUNTY IN TENNESSEE
  WILSON COUNTY IN TENNESSEE

* UNTIL 445 PM CDT

* AT 352 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES EAST OF LEBANON...MOVING EAST AT 30
  MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  CARTHAGE AROUND 420 PM CDT

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BELINDA CITY...
  GORDONSVILLE...MOUNT JULIET...SOUTH CARTHAGE AND WATERTOWN

AT 347 PM CDT...A SPOTTER REPORTED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL 8 MILES
EAST OF LEBANON.

TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING AND AVOID WINDOWS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM CDT MONDAY EVENING FOR
TENNESSEE. A TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT
MONDAY EVENING FOR TENNESSEE.

&&

LAT...LON 3642 8584 3627 8585 3618 8579 3611 8585
          3612 8595 3608 8605 3597 8601 3598 8627
          3612 8652 3622 8657 3633 8644 3630 8614
          3642 8597

$$
STEIGERWALDT

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Nashville, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 5, 2:51 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 2:51 PM CDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
251 PM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TODAY AFTER WIDESPREAD SEVERE
STORMS SWEPT THROUGH MIDDLE TENNESSEE OVERNIGHT. THERE HAVE
BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF CONFIRMED TORNADOES AS WELL AS
LARGE HAIL AND WIND DAMAGE OVERNIGHT AND TODAY.

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWING A LOW PRESSURE CENTER OVER
THE CHICAGO AREA WITH AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTH
THROUGH ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST MISSOURI...AND INTO ANOTHER LOW
PRESSURE CENTER OVER SOUTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. A WARM FRONT EXTENDED
FROM THE LOW OVER CHICAGO THROUGH CENTRAL OHIO...ACROSS WEST
VIRGINIA...INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. SURFACE CONDITIONS OVER THE
FORECAST AREA WERE WARM AND MOIST WITH GUSTY SOUTH WINDS.

18Z SOUNDING FROM BNA INDICATED A VERY UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE. LIFTED
INDEX WAS -9.1. SWEAT INDEX WAS 475. PRECIP WATER 1.42 INCHES.

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER MOST OF MIDDLE
TENNESSEE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. A STRONG MID LEVEL AND UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH WILL SWING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT. WITH EXCESSIVE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN PLACE...THE TROUGH
WILL FURTHER DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE AND WILL LIKELY PRODUCED MORE
SEVERE STORMS. THE STORMS WILL FORM AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING COLD
FRONT AND THE MID AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL MOVE THEM EAST
NORTHEAST ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.BNA...TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 10 PM CDT. DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE
HAIL...WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE AREA.

05

Hazardous weather outlook, May 5, 5:30 AM CDT, 10 hours 25 minutes before

TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075>080-093>097-061030-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
530 AM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE MID-STATE TODAY
AND TONIGHT. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE SCATTERED TODAY AND
THAN BECOME A LITTLE MORE NUMEROUS AGAIN TONIGHT. THE AREA REMAINS
UNDER A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF
LARGE HAIL AND MORE ISOLATED TORNADOES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
A SERIES OF DISTURBANCE WILL CONTINUE TO BRING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE
OF SEVERE WEATHER EACH OF THESE DAYS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TODAY
AND TONIGHT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION.

07

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 5, 2:30 PM CDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN..CORRECTED FOR TIME
0230 PM CDT MON MAY 05 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

1425 PM    KINGSTON SPRINGS          TN   FX TORNADO
05/05/03   CHEATHAM                       TORNADO TOUCHDOWN AT
                                          KINGSTON SPRINGS
                                          ELEMENTARY.

MED

Local storm report, May 5, 3:04 PM CDT, 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE,TN
304 PM CDT MON MAY 5 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0254 PM    CLARKSVILLE               TN   1.25 INCH HAIL
05/05/03   MONTGOMERY                     SPOTTER REPORTED THE HAIL
                                          ON INTERSTATE 24

HS

Local storm report, May 5, 3:13 PM CDT, 42 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
0313 PM CDT MON MAY 05 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0305 PM    DOVER                     TN   1.00 IN HAIL
05/05/03   STEWART

ROSE

Local storm report, May 5, 3:41 PM CDT, 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
0341 PM CDT MON MAY 05 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0337 PM    CENTERVILLE               TN   2.00 IN HAIL
05/05/03   HICKMAN

0323 PM    DOVER                     TN   1.75 IN HAIL
05/05/03   STEWART

ROSE

Local storm report, May 5, 3:42 PM CDT, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
0342 PM CDT MON MAY 05 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0315 PM    1 S COOPERSTOWN           TN   1.00 IN HAIL
05/05/03   ROBERTSON

ROSE

Local storm report, May 5, 3:54 PM CDT, 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
0354 PM CDT MON MAY 05 2003

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0347 PM    8 E LEBANON               TN   WIND DAMAGE
05/05/03   WILSON                         TREES DOWN

0347 PM    8 E LEBANON               TN   1.75 IN HAIL
05/05/03   WILSON

ROSE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Nashville, TN issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 4, 10:33 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Stewart	42 min
May 4, 10:59 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Stewart	31 min
May 4, 11:15 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Montgomery	60 min
May 4, 11:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Stewart	16 min
May 4, 11:47 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Stewart	43 min
May 4, 11:54 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Benton	36 min
May 5, 12:12 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Montgomery	63 min
May 5, 12:16 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Perry	44 min
May 5, 12:20 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Benton, Humphreys	25 min
May 5, 12:22 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Perry	38 min
May 5, 12:41 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Hickman, Perry	39 min
May 5, 12:44 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Dickson, Houston	46 min
May 5, 12:49 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Robertson	56 min
May 5, 12:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cheatham	20 min
May 5, 1:04 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Maury, Williamson	41 min
May 5, 1:11 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Davidson	34 min
May 5, 1:20 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cheatham	20 min
May 5, 1:21 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Hickman, Maury, Williamson	24 min
May 5, 1:25 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Sumner	35 min
May 5, 1:42 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Davidson	28 min
May 5, 1:44 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Maury, Williamson	31 min
May 5, 1:52 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Sumner, Wilson	28 min
May 5, 1:59 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Rutherford, Williamson	46 min
May 5, 2:02 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Sumner, Wilson	28 min
May 5, 2:05 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Dickson, Hickman	35 min
May 5, 2:20 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Cannon, Rutherford	40 min
May 5, 2:21 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Wilson	24 min
May 5, 2:31 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Macon, Trousdale	44 min
May 5, 2:42 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman	48 min
May 5, 2:46 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	DeKalb	29 min
May 5, 2:48 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Williamson	42 min
May 5, 2:59 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Putnam	31 min
May 5, 3:00 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cannon, Rutherford	45 min
May 5, 3:03 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OHX	Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson	3 hr
May 5, 3:06 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Bedford, Marshall, Maury	44 min
May 5, 3:11 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	White	34 min
May 5, 3:22 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Warren	48 min
May 5, 3:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Davidson, Rutherford, Wilson	32 min
May 5, 3:33 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cumberland, Putnam	42 min
May 5, 3:51 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cannon	29 min
May 5, 3:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Bedford, Cannon, Coffee	50 min
May 5, 3:57 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Bedford, Coffee	48 min
May 5, 4:04 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Giles, Lincoln	41 min
May 5, 4:08 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Van Buren, Warren	52 min
May 5, 4:12 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cumberland	33 min
May 5, 4:28 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Franklin	47 min
May 5, 4:36 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OHX	Cumberland, White	3 hr
May 5, 5:16 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Franklin	19 min
May 5, 5:43 AM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OHX	Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson	3 hr
May 5, 5:55 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson	50 min
May 5, 6:14 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Lawrence, Wayne	46 min
May 5, 6:42 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Giles	48 min
May 5, 6:50 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Giles, Lawrence	25 min
May 5, 7:00 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Putnam	30 min
May 5, 7:07 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Bedford, Marshall	38 min
May 5, 7:16 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Giles, Lincoln	29 min
May 5, 7:24 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Cumberland	51 min
May 5, 7:32 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Fentress	28 min
May 5, 7:33 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Fentress	27 min
May 5, 7:37 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Franklin, Lincoln, Moore	38 min
May 5, 8:01 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Grundy	14 min
May 5, 8:13 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Franklin, Grundy	42 min
May 5, 8:44 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Lewis, Perry	51 min
May 5, 9:02 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Hickman, Perry	43 min
May 5, 9:44 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Wayne	46 min
May 5, 10:03 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Lawrence, Wayne	42 min
May 5, 10:20 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Giles	40 min
May 5, 10:43 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Giles, Lawrence	47 min
May 5, 11:01 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Lincoln, Marshall, Moore	44 min
May 5, 11:46 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Bedford, Marshall	44 min
May 5, 11:49 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Franklin, Lincoln, Moore	41 min
May 5, 12:09 PM CDT	Flash Flood Warning	OHX	Bedford	81 min
May 5, 12:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson	51 min
May 5, 12:31 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Coffee, Franklin, Grundy	59 min
May 5, 1:04 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Smith, Wilson	26 min
May 5, 1:21 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Wayne	54 min
May 5, 1:48 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Benton	57 min
May 5, 1:52 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Rutherford, Williamson	38 min
May 5, 2:29 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	OHX	Cheatham, Davidson, Williamson	46 min
May 5, 2:38 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	OHX	Dickson, Humphreys	52 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Tennessee, 2003 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.