Hail, Clay
- When
- May 2, 10:36 AM CST
- Where
- Clay County, 3 mi SW of Celina
- Measured
- 1.25 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.517, -85.533
Hail the size of half dollars were reported.
Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 2, 2002
9 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 13
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 May 2, 9:04 AM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 2, 9:04 AM CST, 1 hour 32 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1004 AM CDT THU MAY 2 2002 CURRENTLY, COLD FRONT HAS EDGED INTO OUR NORTHWEST ZONES, WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS POPPING UP ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL OCCURRING BEHIND THE FRONT IN KENTUCKY, AND EXPECT STRONGER ACTIVITY TO MAKE ITS WAY INTO MIDDLE TENNESSEE THIS AFTERNOON. 12Z SOUNDING FROM OHX SHOWS A MOIST, HIGHLY UNSTABLE, STRONGLY SHEARED ENVIRONMENT, BUT WITH LOW CLOUDS RETARDING SURFACE HEATING, AND AN ELEVATED INVERSION BETWEEN 700 AND 750 MB, BELIEVE OUR CHANCE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS VERY SMALL. WILL UPDATE THE ZONE FORECAST SHORTLY TO REFLECT THE DECREASED CHANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER, AND THE EFFECTS OF THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE. AT 15Z, THERE WAS A 20 DEGREE DIFFERENCE IN TEMPERATURE BETWEEN BNA AND PAH, SO WE WILL LIKELY SEE RAPIDLY DECREASING TEMPERATURES BEHIND THE FRONT. .BNA...NONE. ROSE
The radar
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:36 UTC.
Event by event
9 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Clay
- When
- May 2, 10:42 AM CST
- Where
- Clay County, Celina
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 36.550, -85.500
Golf ball size hail reported.
Hail, Pickett
- When
- May 2, 11:00 AM CST
- Where
- Pickett County, Northeast Portion
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 36.583, -84.900
Public report of hail the size of quarters 3 miles northeast of Pickett State Park.
Hail, Hickman
- When
- May 2, 2:20 PM CST
- Where
- Hickman County, Centerville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.783, -87.467
Dime size hail reported.
Thunderstorm Wind, Marshall
- When
- May 2, 3:20 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
- Where
- Marshall County, Holts Corner
- Measured
- 85 kt (98 mph)
- Reported by
- NWS STORM SURVEY
- Coordinates
- 35.683, -86.683
NWS storm survey indicated straight line winds did some property damage in Marshall county. A roof built over a mobile home was blown off and carried over 30 feet. Trees were uprooted. Some trees were snapped. A tin roof was blown off a large barn. There was some minor roof damage to a few homes. Near the Bedford county line, a flag pole was bent over, nearly touching the ground.
Thunderstorm Wind, Rutherford
- When
- May 2, 3:20 PM CST
- Where
- Rutherford County, Midland
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.667, -86.483
Spotters reported trees were blown down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Cannon
- When
- May 2, 3:35 PM CST
- Where
- Cannon County, 5 mi S of Woodbury
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.767, -86.083
Spotter reported trees were blown down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Warren
- When
- May 2, 3:45 PM CST
- Where
- Warren County, 1 mi NE of Mc Minnville
- Measured
- 90 kt (104 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.700, -85.767
Law enforcement reported one home with major damage, 2 homes with minor damage, one mobile home destroyed, 4 mobile homes with major damage. Numerous trees were blown down. A 24 year old male was injured by falling debris.
Thunderstorm Wind, Warren
- When
- May 2, 3:50 PM CST
- Where
- Warren County, Centertown
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.717, -85.917
Spotter reported large tree limbs were down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Warren
- When
- May 2, 3:54 PM CST
- Where
- Warren County, 5 mi NE of Mc Minnville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.733, -85.717
Spotter reported 7 inch diameter trees were blown down along with power lines.
Thunderstorm Wind, White
- When
- May 2, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- White County, Sparta
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.933, -85.467
911 center reported trees and power lines were down.
Thunderstorm Wind, Van Buren
- When
- May 2, 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Van Buren County, Spencer
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 35.750, -85.467
Spotter reported 60-65 mph wind gusts.
Thunderstorm Wind, Cumberland
- When
- May 2, 4:25 PM CST
- Where
- Cumberland County, Countywide
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.967, -84.983
Ham radio operators reported trees and power lines down across the county.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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
- Flash Flooding and Flood in West Virginia, May 2 to 4, 2002
- Flash Flood and Hail in Virginia, May 2 to 3, 2002
- Rip Currents in Florida, May 2 to 3, 2002
- Flooding in Kentucky, May 2 to 4, 2002
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Virginia, May 2, 2002
- Tornado in Maryland, May 2, 2002
- Flood in Pennsylvania, May 2, 2002
- Hail in Illinois, May 2, 2002
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, May 2, 2002
- Tornadoes and Hail in Virginia, May 2, 2002
- Flooding and Hail in Georgia, May 2 to 3, 2002
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 2, 2002
More
Every storm in Tennessee in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5296652, 5296653, 5296654, 5296655, 5296656, 5296657, 5296724, 5296730, 5296728, 5296725, 5296726, 5296727, 5296729.