Tornado and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, January 7, 1998

Name: Tornado and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, January 7, 1998
Start: 1998-01-07T06:30
End: 1998-01-07T16:00
Location: Tennessee

January 7, 1998 · NWS OHX · 21 events in 18 counties and zones

20 flash flood, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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: $251,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Lincoln

When: January 7, 6:30 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County, Fayetteville
Coordinates: 35.141, -86.589 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lincoln county EMA reported minor flash flooding had occurred in some areas of the county. One family had to be moved to higher ground.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When: January 7, 12:30 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.155, -86.092 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sheriff's office reported many county roads closed. State Hwy 127 was closed over the northern part of the county. At one point, there were 20 roads closed throughout the county.

Flash Flood, Lawrence

When: January 7, 12:40 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County, Lawrenceburg
Coordinates: 35.217, -87.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

EMA officials reported Moss and Shoal Creeks out of their banks. Copious flooding in town with Hwys 43 and 64 closed.

Tornado, Coffee

When: January 7, 12:45 PM CST to 12:46 PM CST
Where: Coffee County, Manchester to 7 mi ENE of Manchester
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 35.480, -85.950

The Coffee county EMA director surveyed the damage. 5 homes had some roof damage, but a brick home lost an entire roof. Some outbuildings were destroyed. There were no injuries. A woman did see a funnel before the tornado struck. Trees and power lines were down on Ragsdale Road.

Flash Flood, Bedford

When: January 7, 1:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Bedford County, Shelbyville
Coordinates: 35.514, -86.459 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Old Unionville Road was under 1 to 3 feet of water.

Flash Flood, Cannon

When: January 7, 1:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Cannon County, Woodbury
Coordinates: 35.809, -86.062 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Low spots on roadways were flooded.

Flash Flood, Clay

When: January 7, 1:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Clay County, Countywide
Coordinates: 36.551, -85.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Many culverts are flooded and washed out around the county.

Flash Flood, Coffee

When: January 7, 1:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Coffee County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.491, -86.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Many roads were closed due to high water countywide. Harrison Branch Road was washed out.

Flash Flood, Marion

When: January 7, 1:05 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Marion County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.129, -85.622 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous county roads were closed. Mud slides occurred on Suck Creek Mt. The Little Sequatchie River came out of its banks.

Flash Flood, Coffee

When: January 7, 1:15 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Coffee County, Tullahoma
Coordinates: 35.491, -86.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A SKYWARN Spotter reported extensive low lying flooding around Tullahoma. The park by the high school was under water.

Flash Flood, Dekalb

When: January 7, 1:26 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Dekalb County, Keltonburg
Coordinates: 35.980, -85.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sink Creek Road, near Keltonburg, was closed. Several tiles were washed out.

Flash Flood, Putnam

When: January 7, 1:45 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Putnam County, Countywide
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 36.141, -85.495 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Many county roads were being flooded due to the heavy rains. Schools were let out early. A pool hall in Cookeville had its basement flooded. A wooden bridge was washed out. The wooden floor of the bridge was torn from its steel-girder underpinning by the high waters at Poplar Grove.

Flash Flood, Marion

When: January 7, 2:45 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Marion County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.129, -85.622 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

EMA officials reported high water on many roads throughout the county. There was a mud slide on Hwy 27 east of Powells Crossroads.

Flash Flood, Sequatchie

When: January 7, 3:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Sequatchie County, Dunlap
Coordinates: 35.371, -85.411 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Many county roads closed. A trailer park was evacuated in Dunlap.

Flash Flood, Grundy

When: January 7, 3:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Grundy County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.388, -85.723 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous side roads were closed due to high water.

Flash Flood, Bledsoe

When: January 7, 3:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Bledsoe County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.596, -85.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Streams are out of their banks countywide. The Brightdale community in the southwest part of the county was hardest hit.

Flash Flood, Jackson

When: January 7, 3:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, Countywide
Coordinates: 36.359, -85.673 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Some small streams are out of their banks around the county.

Flash Flood, Moore

When: January 7, 3:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Moore County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.285, -86.359 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sheriff's office reported State Highway 129 near Mulberry Creek was closed. High water was on roads countywide.

Flash Flood, Warren

When: January 7, 3:00 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Warren County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.679, -85.778 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The highway department reported several roads closed around the county.

Flash Flood, Van Buren

When: January 7, 3:25 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County, West Portion
Coordinates: 35.696, -85.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The highway department reported one road was closed at Rocky River Road.

Flash Flood, Overton

When: January 7, 3:25 PM CST to 4:00 PM CST
Where: Overton County, Countywide
Coordinates: 36.345, -85.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The highway department reported high water on roadways throughout the county.

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.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Tennessee, 1998 Warnings in Tennessee, January 1998

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: 5631337, 5631215, 5631216, 5631346, 5631217, 5631218, 5631331, 5631332, 5631333, 5631334, 5631335, 5631347, 5631336, 5631338, 5631339, 5631340, 5631341, 5631342, 5631343, 5631344, 5631345.