Tennessee, 2002

Damaging Winds in Tennessee, July 23, 2002

July 23, 2002 · NWS MEG · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 thunderstorm wind, 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 23, 9:00 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 9:00 AM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
1000 AM CDT TUE JUL 23 2002

AS WE MIGHT EXPECT...FRONT IS HARD TO FIND THIS MORNING...BUT MY
BEST FIRST GUESS IS THAT IT IS SOMEWHERE AROUND THE NWRN EDGE OF THE
MEG CWFA...EXTENDING NEWD INTO THE WABASH RIVER VALLEY. SLIGHTLY
LOWER DEWPOINTS LAG BEHIND FRONT IN CNTRL MO...WITH SHRA/TSRA
DEVELOPING WELL AHEAD...MOSTLY NEAR APPARENT PRE-FRONTAL TROF WHICH
IS ALMOST THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA.

FRONT AND ASSOCIATED U/L ELONGATED VORT MAX WILL EDGE SLOWLY SWD
TODAY AND TONIGHT. DEBRIS CLOUDS FROM ALL THE CONVECTION TO THE
NORTH LAST NIGHT WILL CONTINUE TO BURN OFF...ALLOWING FOR SOME
HEATING...AND POSSIBILITY FOR TSTM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON.

AT THIS POINT...WILL BE MONITORING TWO THINGS FOR POTENTIAL MIDDAY
UPDATE. FIRST IS TEMPS...ALTHOUGH WE ARE IN THE 80S NOW...IF RAIN
COVERAGE INCREASES...LOWER 90S MAY BE A HARD SELL. SECOND IS RAIN
COVERAGE ITSELF...WE ARE CARRYING LIKELY IN THE NWRN GROUP...AND
THAT HAS YET TO PAN OUT. STAY TUNED.

.MEG...NONE.

JE/23

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Madison

When
July 23, 12:30 PM CST to 12:35 PM CST
Where
Madison County, Jackson
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
35.617, -88.833

A few trees were blown down. One tree fell on a house.

Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette

When
July 23, 1:15 PM CST to 1:20 PM CST
Where
Fayette County, Lambert
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.317, -89.483

One mobile home was flipped over. One house had its roof blown off. Numerous trees were blown down.

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.

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, July 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: 5311748, 5311749.