Flash Flood in Tennessee, July 21 to 22, 1996

Name: Flash Flood in Tennessee, July 21 to 22, 1996
Start: 1996-07-21T22:45
End: 1996-07-22T01:45
Location: Tennessee

July 21 to 22, 1996 · NWS OHX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Several creeks and streams were out of their banks which caused several evacuations. There were numerous road closures around the county due to high water.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $200,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OHX wrote it up.

Several creeks and streams were out of their banks which caused several evacuations. There were numerous road closures around the county due to high water. The rainfall was estimated to be about 6 inches in 3 hours. It started to rain really hard after 2200 CST. The Bank of Commerce in Auburntown had about a foot of water inside and as a result caused $10,000 worth of damages. The City Hall had 18 inches of water in the basement. Sanders Fork and Marshall Creek, which join in the center of Auburntown, flooded. This caused almost every building in the downtown business district of Auburntown to have water inside. 20 homes suffered losses and 5 of them had water inside. 9 vehicles were totally destroyed by the flood waters. One apartment building had damage from the high water. There were reports of some farm animals and dogs that perished in the flood waters.

The radar

The Nashville radar (KOHX), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Cannon

When: July 21, 10:45 PM CST to July 22, 1:45 AM CST
Where: Cannon County, Auburntown
Property damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 35.809, -86.062 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, July 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5558135.