Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 13, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind in Tennessee, May 13, 2002
Start: 2002-05-13T07:50
End: 2002-05-13T07:50
Location: Tennessee

May 13, 2002 · NWS MRX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Trees reported down on power lines near Norris.

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: $10,000
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.

Trees reported down on power lines near Norris.

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 May 13, 2:35 AM EST, 5 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 2:35 AM EST, 5 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
335 AM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

RADAR MOSAIC SHOWS AN AREA OF PRECIP ASSOCIATED WITH AN ADVANCING
SHORT WAVE TROUGH AND SURFACE COLD FRONT MOVING INTO NORTHERN AND
WESTERN KENTUCKY AT THIS TIME. THIS AREA OF PRECIP IS PROJECTED TO
MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA EARLY IN THE FIRST PERIOD. MODELS
INDICATE THAT THE FRONT WILL BE RELATIVELY PROGRESSIVE THROUGH
TENNESSEE THUS IT APPEARS THAT EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH QPFS ARE UNLIKELY
DESPITE RELATIVELY HIGH PWATS OF >1.5 INCHES. WILL NOT ISSUE A FFA AT
THIS TIME ALTHOUGH LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE. A MODERATELY
UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WILL PRECEDED THE FRONT SUGGESTING SOME STORMS
MAY BE STRONG ALSO. MODELS ALSO PROJECT A TIGHT SURFACE PRESSURE
GRADIENT AND STRONG LOW-LEVEL WINDS. HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY FOR
THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA IN THE FIRST PERIOD.

FRONT PROGRESSES THROUGH AREA BY LATE AFTERNOON TAKING THE BULK
OF THE PRECIP WITH IT. SOME QUESTION REMAINS ABOUT PRECIP LINGERING
INTO THE SECOND PERIOD. ETA TIME-HEIGHTS SHOWS ABUNDANT LOW-LEVEL
MOISTURE REMAINS ALONG WITH SOME LOW-LEVEL LIFT. OTHER MODELS ARE NOT
AS AGGRESSIVE WITH THE LIFT AND PROJECT PRECIP WILL BE COMPLETELY OUT
OF THE FORECAST AREA BY THE SECOND PERIOD. AT THIS TIME...AM INCLINED
TO HOLD ON TO A SLIGHT CHANCE OVER THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA.

GENERALLY BENIGN ALBEIT INITIALLY COOLER WEATHER WILL PREVAIL
THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WORK WEEK. TEMPS WILL AVERAGE WELL
BELOW CLIMATOLOGY BEFORE REBOUNDING BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK.

GENERALLY WENT WITH A BLEND OF MOS GUIDANCE VALUES FOR TEMPS.
FAVORED HIGHER NGM MOS POPS.

FCSTID = 23
THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS ARE PRELIMINARY AND FOR COORDINATION ONLY:
CHA   76  51  72  47 /  90  20  10   0
TYS   73  48  67  45 / 100  20  10   0
TRI   70  47  65  41 / 100  30  10   0
OQT   72  48  68  45 / 100  20  10   0

.MRX...
NC...WIND ADVISORY FOR MONDAY FOR ZONES NCZ060>061.

TN...WIND ADVISORY FOR MONDAY FOR ZONES TNZ012>018...TNZ035>047...
TNZ067>074...TNZ081>087...TNZ098>102.

VA...WIND ADVISORY FOR MONDAY FOR ZONES VAZ001>002...VAZ005>006...
VAZ008.

LCM

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 13, 3:15 AM EST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002-005-
006-008-132000-

AREA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
415 AM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY ACROSS SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA...EAST TENNESSEE AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...

A COLD FRONT IN THE OHIO AND MISSISSIPPI VALLEYS WILL MOVE QUICKLY
SOUTHEAST....AND APPROACH SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...EAST TENNESSEE AND
EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA BY THIS AFTERNOON. AHEAD OF THE COLD
FRONT...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE FROM CENTRAL SECTIONS OF
KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE INTO SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...EAST TENNESSEE AND
EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS.

THE ATMOSPHERE AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL BE MOIST AND UNSTABLE
ACROSS THE REGION...AND WITH STRONG WINDS A FEW THOUSAND FEET UP...A
FEW STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREATS WITH THESE ISOLATED
STORMS WILL BE FOR DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS...FREQUENT
LIGHTNING...TORRENTIAL RAIN...AND SMALL HAIL.

AREA SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON.
PLEASE STAY TUNED TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND FAVORITE RADIO AND
TV STATIONS FOR LATER STATEMENTS FROM YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

LCM

Local storm report, May 13, 7:21 AM EST, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
821 AM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

0800 AM    JACKSBORO                 TN   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   CAMPBELL                       FEW TREES DOWN. REPORTED
                                          BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.

GM

Local storm report, May 13, 7:32 AM EST, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
832 AM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

0725 AM    BIG SOUTH FORK PARK       TN   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   SCOTT                          TREES DOWN ACROSS HWY 297
                                          AND OTHERS AGAINST POWER
                                          LINES IN BIG SOUTH FORK
                                          PARK. REPORTED BY PARK
                                          RANGER.

GM

Local storm report, May 13, 7:50 AM EST, 0 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN, TN
850 AM EDT MON MAY 13 2002

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

0725 AM    BIG SOUTH FORK PARK       TN   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   SCOTT                          TREES DOWN ACROSS HWY 297
                                          AND OTHERS AGAINST POWER
                                          LINES IN BIG SOUTH FORK
                                          PARK. REPORTED BY PARK
                                          RANGER.

0840 AM    COUNTY WIDE               TN   WIND DAMAGE
05/13/02   CLAIBORNE                      TREES DOWN COUNTY WIDE.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

GM

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 57 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:52 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Anderson

When: May 13, 7:50 AM EST
Where: Anderson County, 3 mi NE of Norris
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: UTILITY COMPANY
Coordinates: 36.233, -84.033

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, May 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: 5298006.