Tennessee, 2002

Flash Flooding in Tennessee, March 17 to 18, 2002

March 17 to 18, 2002 · NWS MEG · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

7 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
$56,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 Mar 16, 8:34 PM CST, 5 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 16, 8:34 PM CST, 5 hours 16 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEMPHIS TN
834 PM CST SAT MAR 16 2002

88D RADAR LOOP WAS SHOWING SCTD TSTMS ACROSS THE FA THIS EVENING.
LATEST OUTLOOK PLACES THE ENTIRE FA IN A SLIGHT RISK WITH HAIL BEING
THE PRIMARY THREAT. SFC ANALYSIS INDICATED THE FNTL BNDRY WAS SITUA
SOUTH OF THE FA WITH TEMPS MAINLY IN THE MID/UPR 40S MOST PLACES
EXCEPT LWR/MID 50S OVR FAR SRN ZNS OF THE AREA. EXPECT THE FNTL BNDRY
TO SHIFT NWD OVERNITE WITH A SFC WAVE RIDING ALONG IT. AM NOT SURE
THAT THE BNDRY WILL REACH SRN PORTIONS OF WRN TN BY SUN MORNING. HAVE
ADJUSTED FCST TEMPS SOMEWHAT AS TEMPS ARE ALREADY BLO FCST MINS MOST
AREAS. HAVE ADJUSTED POPS DOWN A LITTLE FOR WRN/SRN SXNS OF THE FA.
NO OTHER CHANGES.

.MEG...NONE.

The radar

The Memphis radar (KNQA), 18 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:47 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Shelby

When
March 17, 1:50 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where
Shelby County, Memphis
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.184, -89.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Numerous roads were under water.

Flash Flood, Madison

When
March 17, 2:00 AM CST to 3:30 AM CST
Where
Madison County, Jackson
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.608, -88.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several homes were flooded. Part of one road was washed away. Numerous roads were under water.

Flash Flood, Fayette

When
March 17, 4:00 PM CST to 6:30 PM CST
Where
Fayette County, Countywide
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.197, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One bridge was flooded. Several roads were closed due to flooding.

Flash Flood, Hardeman

When
March 17, 5:30 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Hardeman County, Whiteville
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
35.207, -88.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Twenty-five people had to evacuated from a church that had up to 14 inches of water in it.

Flash Flood, Henderson

When
March 17, 5:30 PM CST to March 18, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Henderson County, Lexington
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.654, -88.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several bridges were washed out. Some roads were flooded.

Flash Flood, Decatur

When
March 17, 5:30 PM CST to March 18, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Decatur County, Countywide
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.603, -88.109 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several roads were closed due to flooding.

Flash Flood, Hardin

When
March 17, 6:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Hardin County, Walnut Grove
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
35.199, -88.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several roads were flooded.

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.

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, March 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: 5286500, 5286501, 5286502, 5286503, 5286504, 5286505, 5286506.