Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 15, 2002

Name: Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 15, 2002
Start: 2002-08-15T12:30
End: 2002-08-15T14:30
Location: Tennessee

August 15, 2002 · NWS OHX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 Aug 15, 8:35 AM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 15, 8:35 AM CST, 3 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
935 AM CDT THU AUG 15 2002

TSTMS A GOOD BET ACROSS CWA W/ JUICY AIRMASS AND APPROACHING SHEARED
VORT AXIS.  AM NOT CERTAIN ON COVERAGE BUT WILL NOT TWEAK FOR NOW.
MCS TO SW IN LOCATION THAT OFTEN ACTS TO CUT US OFF SO POPS MAY BE A
LITTLE HI.

.BNA...NONE.

MAG

The radar

The Nashville radar (KOHX), 72 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:30 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Dekalb

When: August 15, 12:30 PM CST to 2:30 PM CST
Where: Dekalb County, 3 mi SE of Smithville
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 35.980, -85.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Newspaper story reported that southern DeKalb county got hit with very heavy rains, some areas with over 5 inches of rain in one hour. Several local motorists found themselves stranded in their vehicles as they waited for swollen streams and creeks to recede in their banks. A school bus was trapped on Bright Hill Road between rapidly moving waters across the roadway and a downed tree and power lines. Emergency personnel had to rescue occupants of a car on Bright Hill Road and push the small car out of the swift moving water. There were no injuries.

Thunderstorm Wind, Dekalb

When: August 15, 12:30 PM CST
Where: Dekalb County, Southeast Portion
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 35.900, -85.717

Newspaper article said that trees and power lines were down in the Four Season's area.

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, August 2002

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: 5313459, 5313460.