Tennessee, 2001

Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 20 to 22, 2001

May 20 to 22, 2001 · NWS OHX · 10 events in 8 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at May 20, 12:55 AM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 20, 12:55 AM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
155 AM CDT SUN MAY 20 2001

CURRENT PATTERN SHOWS A WEAK LOW PRESSURE OVER MIDDLE TENNESSEE WITH A
SECOND LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE PLAINS. WEAK UPPER LOW OVER
WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA IS MOVING EAST AND WEAKENING. A STRONGER H5
LOW IS LOCATED OVER THE WESTERN OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE WITH A TROUGH
THAT EXTENDS SOUTHWEST INTO THE NORTHERN GULF OF CALIFORNIA.
ANOTHER...YET STRONGER...H5 LOW IS LOCATED OVER WESTERN CANADA
TENDING TO MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD.

THE CANADIAN LOW APPEARS TO BE THE MAIN ACTOR IN DETERMINING MIDDLE
TENNESSEE WEATHER FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. MODELS BRING THIS LOW
STEADILY SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE OHIO VALLEY BY TUESDAY. THE LOW
APPEARS TO SORT OF SET UP HOUSEKEEPING OVER THE OHIO VALLEY AND
CENTRAL APPALACHIANS FOR THE NEXT 2-3 DAYS. IT FINALLY KICKS OUT
NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS NEW ENGLAND BY NEXT SUNDAY.

SURFACE PATTERN INDICATES A WARM FRONT PUSHING NORTHWARD ACROSS THE
LOWER AND MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TODAY AS THE LOW IN THE PLAINS
GETS ITS ACT TOGETHER. THAT SHOULD BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF PRECIP INTO
MIDDLE TENNESSEE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. AS THE H5 CANADIAN LOW DROPS
SOUTHEASTWARD IT ENTICES A PACIFIC NORTHWEST HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM TO
MOVE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND PUSHES THE ASSOCIATED FRONT AHEAD OF IT
INTO MIDDLE TENNESSEE...LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON IF YOU THINKS THE AVN
MODEL IS CORRECT...MONDAY NIGHT IF YOU THINK THE ETA/NGM IS CORRECT.
AVN MODEL BRINGS A -2C@850MB TYPE AIRMASS IN TO THE MIDSTATE BY
TUESDAY EVENING. THIS DROPS HIGH TEMPS FROM AROUND 80F TODAY TO
AROUND 60F ON TUESDAY.

BNA ET 081/066 079/059 062 18268
CSV ET 076/063 074/055 058 18257

.BNA...NONE.

JLM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When
May 20, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Montgomery County, Countywide
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
36.483, -87.400

Highway dept. reported about 4 trees down around the county.

Hail, Perry

When
May 20, 4:05 AM CST
Where
Perry County, Lobelville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
35.783, -87.750

Spotter reported dime size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Perry

When
May 20, 4:05 AM CST
Where
Perry County, South Portion
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
35.583, -87.833

Highway dept. reported 5 or 6 large tree limbs down in the southern part of the county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hickman

When
May 20, 4:30 AM CST
Where
Hickman County, 10 mi E of Centerville
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
35.783, -87.283

Highway dept. reported a tree down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Stewart

When
May 20, 11:40 PM CST
Where
Stewart County, Countywide
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
36.483, -87.817

Trees down countywide.

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 21, 6:55 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County, Dellrose
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.117, -86.817

Golf ball size hail and a tree was blown down at Dellrose by EMA.

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 21, 7:01 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County, Coldwater
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.083, -86.733

Quarter size hail reported by EMA.

Thunderstorm Wind, Bedford

When
May 21, 11:35 PM CST
Where
Bedford County, Northeast Portion
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
35.583, -86.300

Highway dept. reported one or 2 trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cannon

When
May 21, 11:45 PM CST
Where
Cannon County, Readyville
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
35.833, -86.183

Highway dept. reported 2 or 3 trees down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Coffee

When
May 22, 12:00 AM CST
Where
Coffee County, 5 mi SE of Hillsboro
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
35.367, -85.917

Highway dept. reported a tree down on Praire Plains Rd.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, May 2001

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: 5249463, 5249465, 5249466, 5249464, 5249462, 5249457, 5249458, 5249459, 5249460, 5249461.