Damaging Wind in Tennessee, July 3, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind in Tennessee, July 3, 2002
Start: 2002-07-03T19:45
End: 2002-07-03T19:45
Location: Tennessee

July 3, 2002 · NWS MRX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Numerous trees were reported down in Decatur and across the county.

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: $20,000
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 happened

The episode as NWS MRX wrote it up.

Numerous trees were reported down in Decatur and across the county.

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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 3, 2:05 PM EST, 5 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 3, 2:05 PM EST, 5 hours 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
305 PM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND
WASHINGTON AND RUSSELL COUNTIES IN SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA TILL 8 PM.

HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO BE THE DOMINATE FEATURE THROUGH THE NEXT
FEW DAYS...HOWEVER WEAK TROFING FROM THE MID ATLANTIC INTO THE
SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS WILL PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT.  THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE AIDED BY AFTERNOON
HEATING THEREFORE EXPECT THE STORMS TO PRIMARILY BE OF THE TYPICAL
AFTERNOON AND EVENING VARIETY.

NORTHWEST FLOW BY SUNDAY WILL BRING IN SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR AND HAVE
GONE WITH DRY EXCEPT THE FAVORED HIGHER ELEVATIONS WITH ONLY
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THERE.

SCATTERED ACTIVITY CWA WIDE RETURNS MONDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY...TYPICAL SUMMERTIME.

CHA   70  93  70  93 /  40  40  40  30
TYS   68  91  68  91 /  40  40  40  30
TRI   65  89  65  89 /  60  40  40  30
OQT   67  90  67  90 /  40  40  40  30

.MRX...
NC...NONE.
TN...NONE.
VA...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 3, 3:54 PM EST, 3 hours 51 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
454 PM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0440 PM    KINGSPORT                 TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   SULLIVAN                       NUMEROUS TREES DOWN AND
                                          DAMAGE REPORTS TO LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0440 PM    GREENEVILLE               TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   GREENE                         NUMEROUS TREES DOWN ACROSS
                                          COUNTY AND MARBLE SIZE
                                          HAIL. REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

CAC

Local storm report, Jul 3, 4:42 PM EST, 3 hours 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
542 PM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0510 PM    COUNTYWIDE, SCOTT, VA     VA   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   SCOTT                          7 CASES OF TREES DOWN
                                          ACROSS POWER LINES REPORTED
                                          BY AMERICAN POWER COMPANY.

0510 PM    MOSHEIM AREA              TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   GREENE                         NUMEROUS TREESDOWN FROM
                                          HWY 107 CUT-OFF THROUGH
                                          MOSHEIM. REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT

0510 PM    ABINGDON                  VA   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   WASHINGTON                     TREES DOWN COUNTY WIDE.
                                          MANY FLOODED AREAS.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

CAC

Local storm report, Jul 3, 5:13 PM EST, 2 hours 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
613 PM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0530 PM    PENNINGTON GAP            VA   1.25 INCH HAIL
07/03/02   LEE                            QUARTER TO HALF DOLLAR
                                          SIZE HAIL. REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTER

0520 PM    KYLES FORD                TN   60 MPH TSTM WIND GUST
07/03/02   HANCOCK                        NUMEROUS LARGE TREES
                                          BRANCHES DOWN. SPOTTER
                                          ESTIMATED GUST IN EXCESS OF
                                          60 MPH.

CAC

Local storm report, Jul 3, 5:59 PM EST, 1 hour 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
659 PM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0625 PM    COUNTY WIDE               TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   CLAIBORNE                      NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER
                                          LINES DOWN ACROSS COUNTY.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT

0650 PM    MAYNARDVILLE              TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   UNION                          NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN AND
                                          AROUND MAYNARDVILLE AND
                                          COUNTYWIDE. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

GRC

Local storm report, Jul 3, 7:00 PM EST, 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
800 PM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0650 PM    TAZEWELL                  TN   .88 INCH HAIL
07/03/02   CLAIBORNE                      NICKLE AND DIME SIZE HAIL
                                          IN AND AROUND TAZEWELL.
                                          REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

0725 PM    CLINTON                   TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   ANDERSON                       SEVERAL TREES DOWN ACROSS
                                          THE COUNTY. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

0745 PM    LENOIR CITY               TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   LOUDON                         NUMEROUS TREES DOWN
                                          COUNTYWIDE. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

0715 PM    KNOXVILLE                 TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   KNOX                           NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN AND
                                          AROUND KNOXVILLE AND
                                          COUNTYWIDE. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

GRC

Local storm report, Jul 3, 7:41 PM EST, 4 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
841 PM EDT WED JUL 3 2002

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0805 PM    ROCKWOOD                  TN   WIND DAMAGE
07/03/02   ROANE                          NUMEROUS TREES DOWN IN AND
                                          AROUND ROCKWOOD AND
                                          COUNTYWIDE. REPORTED BY
                                          DISPATCH.

GRC

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:44 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Meigs

When: July 3, 7:45 PM EST
Where: Meigs County, Decatur
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.517, -84.800

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

Every storm in Tennessee in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5308939.