Flood, Carroll
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Carroll forecast zone
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Coordinates
- 35.973, -88.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flooding in Tennessee, March 1 to 11, 1997
Excessive rainfall during the first few days of March along with rivers that were already high caused prolonged flooding along the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers as well as their tributaries. Along the Mississippi, the river reached levels that had not been seen since 1937.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $20 million
- Crop damage
- $150,000
- Events
- 17
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 MEG wrote it up.
Excessive rainfall during the first few days of March along with rivers that were already high caused prolonged flooding along the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers as well as their tributaries. Along the Mississippi, the river reached levels that had not been seen since 1937. Numerous roads were closed for days. In several counties people had to be evacuated from homes including 400 persons in the town of Rives in Obion county. In Madison county, two persons were killed when their car was swept off a flooded road. One person was killed in Shelby county when his car went over a flooded bridge. One man was also killed in Obion county when he fell out of a boat helping people out of their homes.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
17 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Chester
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Chester forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 35.422, -88.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Crockett
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Crockett forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 35.814, -89.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Dyer
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Dyer forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Coordinates
- 36.059, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Gibson
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Gibson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $330,000
- Coordinates
- 35.997, -88.933 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Hardeman
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hardeman forecast zone
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Coordinates
- 35.207, -88.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Hardin
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Hardin forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 35.199, -88.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Henderson
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Henderson forecast zone
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 35.654, -88.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Henry
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Henry forecast zone
- Property damage
- $900,000
- Coordinates
- 36.332, -88.301 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Lake
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lake forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Coordinates
- 36.335, -89.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Lauderdale
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Lauderdale forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5.0 million
- Crop damage
- $150,000
- Coordinates
- 35.761, -89.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, McNairy
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- McNairy forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Coordinates
- 35.175, -88.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Obion
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Obion forecast zone
- Property damage
- $4.0 million
- Coordinates
- 36.358, -89.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Shelby
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Shelby forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 35.184, -89.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Madison
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Madison forecast zone
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $3.0 million
- Coordinates
- 35.608, -88.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Weakley
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Weakley forecast zone
- Property damage
- $1.5 million
- Coordinates
- 36.298, -88.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Tipton
- When
- March 1, 4:00 AM CST to March 11, 12:00 AM CST
- Where
- Tipton forecast zone
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Coordinates
- 35.497, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood, Shelby | 1997-03-01 | 18 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Flood, Madison | 1997-03-01 | 31 | Female | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
| Flood, Madison | 1997-03-01 | 50 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Flood in Kentucky, March 1 to 6, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Tornadoes in Tennessee, March 1, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Tornadoes in Arkansas, March 1, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, March 1 to 2, 1997
- Tornadoes in Mississippi, March 1, 1997
- Flash Flood in Kentucky, March 1 to 2, 1997
More
Every storm in Tennessee in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, March 1997
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5595062, 5595063, 5595064, 5595065, 5595066, 5595067, 5595068, 5595069, 5595070, 5595071, 5595072, 5595073, 5595074, 5595075, 5595076, 5595077, 5595078.