Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, July 7, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, July 7, 2002
Start: 2002-07-07T18:00
End: 2002-07-07T20:25
Location: Tennessee

July 7, 2002 · NWS OHX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

2 thunderstorm wind, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 Jul 7, 1:30 PM CST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 7, 1:30 PM CST, 4 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
230 PM CDT SUN JUL 7 2002

UPPER LEVEL ANTICYCLONE RETROGRADES WESTWARD THIS WEEK AS MOISTURE
GRADUALLY DEEPENS ACROSS THE REGION BEGINNING ON MONDAY. A WEAK
INVERTED TROF WILL WORK IT WAY ACROSS THE MID STATE ON MONDAY AND THIS
WILL BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR TSTMS. MOISTURE DEEP ENOUGH TUESDAY
TO KEEP A CHANCE IN THE FORECAST BUT SHOULD SEE A LITTLE BETTER
CHANCE BY WEDNESDAY AS A FRONTAL BOUNDARY DROPS SOUTH FROM OHIO
RIVER VALLEY. BIG QUESTION IS TO HOW FAR SOUTH FRONT WILL GET LATER
THIS WEEK? MRF HANGS IT UP SOUTHERN MIDDLE/NORTHERN AL.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS:
NASHVILLE  70 92 71 92 72  0213
CROSSVILLE 64 86 66 87 67  0213

.BNA...NONE.
BOYD
01

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When: July 7, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, Estill Spgs
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.267, -86.133

Sheriff reported trees were down.

Lightning, Franklin

When: July 7, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, Winchester
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 35.155, -86.092 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

News article stated that lightning struck a home at 251 Brandi Cir. The wiring inside of the wall caught fire and caused the insulation to ignite. There was some damage to the home.

Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren

When: July 7, 8:25 PM CST
Where: Van Buren County, 7 mi E of Spencer
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.750, -85.350

Sheriff reported trees were down on Hwy 30E.

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.
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

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: 5308080, 5308082, 5308081.