Governor Don Sundquist declared 41 counties in Tennessee, mainly east and middle Tennessee, as a federal disaster, due to flooding in January and March of 2002. Estimated damages to public infrastructure and uninsured private property was placed at $12,000,000.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS OHX wrote it up.
Governor Don Sundquist declared 41 counties in Tennessee, mainly east and middle Tennessee, as a federal disaster, due to flooding in January and March of 2002. Estimated damages to public infrastructure and uninsured private property was placed at $12,000,000.
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 Mar 19, 10:30 PM CST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1030 PM CST TUE MAR 19 2002
DENSE FOG BECOMING A PROBLEM SOME AREAS SUCH AS DAVIDSON COUNTY.
LOWEST VISIBILITY OBSERVED ALONG SURFACE FRONT WHERE WINDS ARE LIGHT
AND VARIABLE. FOG NOT DENSE AWAY FROM FRONT AND PROBABLY WILL NOT BE
WITH WINDS STAYING A LITTLE HIGHER. DENSE FOG WILL PROBABLY
DISSIPATE SOMEWHAT AS MORE SHOWERS MOVE INTO THE AREA LATER TONIGHT
WITH SURFACE WAVE.
SINCE CONDITIONS NOT WIDESPREAD WILL JUST MENTION IN ZONE FORECAST
AND NOWCAST.
.BNA...FLOOD WATCH NORTHERN AREAS TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.
FLOOD WATCH SOUTHERN AREAS WEDNESDAY.
SHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
TDOT reported low lying roads in the Camden area were partially closed.
TDOT reported streams and creeks out of their banks. A few roads were washed out.
TDOT reported high water on roads in the southern part of the county.
A road was closed in Ashland City and also at Pond Creek Rd.
TDOT reported a few roads were closed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, March 2002
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: 5287360, 5287362, 5287361, 5287363, 5287364.