Tennessee, 2002

Lightning Strike in Tennessee, August 19, 2002

August 19, 2002 · NWS OHX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 lightning, 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
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 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 19, 1:35 PM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 19, 1:35 PM CST, 2 hours 55 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
235 PM CDT MON AUG 19 2002

CURRENT...LINE OF CONVECTION HAS BEEN PUSHING S FROM KY BUT DYING ON
THE WESTERN END.  THIS IN CONJUNCTION W/ OUTFLOW FROM OVERNITE MCS.
TSTMS OVER SE SECIONS HAVE DISSIPATED.  TEMPS IN 80S W/ A 90 AT M54.

FORECAST...WILL KEEP ISOLATED EVE TSTMS IN AGAIN.  FRONTAL SYSTEM TO
N WILL NOT MAKE IT DOWN.  QUESTION AS TO HOW MUCH DRYING OCCURS FORM
H850-H7 TO SQUELCH CONVECTION FOR TUE.  POPS FOR BNA RANGE FROM 0
NGM...TO 10 ETA...TO 30 AVN.  WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE ISOLATED
ACTIVITY TOMORROW AFTERNOON...BUT...DO NOT HAVE IN FORECAST AND
RATHER THAN FLIP-FLOP...WILL LEAVE OUT.  DRING AND WARMER CONDTIONS
WILL TAKE OVER THEREAFTER AS UPPER RIDGE BUILDS.  WILL TAKE OUT
MENTION FOR WED.

AS FOR TEMPS...WILL RAISE FWC MINS FOR TUE NITE...OTHERWISE OK.

BNA BB 72/92/72/95 2111
CSV BB 66/86/66/90 2111

.BNA...NONE.

MAG

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 139 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Fentress

When
August 19, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Fentress County, 12 mi ENE of Allardt
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
36.381, -84.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

News article about lightning striking and igniting an oil tank in the Honey Creek area of Fentress county. The lightning strike had blown the top off of one of the 200-barrell tanks. The oil was burning, and there was a fire on top of one of the adjacent tanks. The Allardt Fire Dept. used a foam designed to control the petroleum fires and the fire was successfully put out.

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5313550.