Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 22, 2003

Name: Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 22, 2003
Start: 2003-08-22T19:35
End: 2003-08-22T19:35
Location: Tennessee

August 22, 2003 · NWS MRX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A few trees reported down by 911 dispatch. Five people were injured by lightning at the Morgan County Fair in Wartburg.

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: 5
Property damage: None recorded
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.

A few trees reported down by 911 dispatch. Five people were injured by lightning at the Morgan County Fair in Wartburg.

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 Aug 22, 5:55 PM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 22, 5:55 PM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
655 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE FORECAST DISCUSSIONS FROM THE PAST 24 HOURS...
WITH THE MOST RECENT FIRST. THIS PROVIDES A HISTORY OF THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CURRENT FORECAST.
*********************************************************************
EVENING FORECAST DISCUSSION
655 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

UPDATED ZONES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR NORTHERN CUMBERLAND
PLATEAU AND TENNESSEE VALLEY COUNTIES. WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL
MIDNIGHT EDT. THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING ACROSS NORTHERN PART OF EAST
TENNESSEE AHEAD OF COLD FRONT AND MCS MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN
KENTUCKY INTO NORTHERN TENNESSEE.

.MRX...
NC...NONE.
TN...NONE.
VA...NONE.

TD
*********************************************************************
AFTERNOON FORECAST DISCUSSION
300 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

SHORT TERM...SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOP OVER OUR VIRGINIA
COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON.  MAIN CONCERN WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE
RAIN AMOUNTS DUE TO SLOW MOVEMENT.  EXPECT THE CONVECTION TO SPREAD
OVER THE REMAINDER OF OUR AREA THROUGH THIS EVENING WITH MOST
ACTIVITY CENTERED OVER EASTERN ZONES.  THIS ALL IN RESPONSE TO THE
MOIST...UNSTABLE AIR MASS THAT HAS SET UP IN ADVANCE OF THE COOL
FRONT PROGGED TO TRACK ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT/EARLY
SATURDAY.  THE FRONT IS MOVING SLOWLY AND WE COULD SEE SOME
LINGERING CONVECTION MAINLY OVER SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ZONES SATURDAY
AFTERNOON.  AS THE FRONT EXITS THE AREA A DRIER...STABLE AND
SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR MASS WILL FILTER IN WITH AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH THE
DOMINATE WEATHER FEATURE FOR THE REST OF THE SHORT TERM.

CHA   71  90  67  90 /  30  30  20   0
TYS   70  88  67  87 /  40  40  10   0
TRI   67  84  65  84 /  70  40  10   0
OQT   70  88  67  87 /  40  30  10   0

MJB.
*********************************************************************
MORNING FORECAST DISCUSSION (UPDATE)
922 AM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

AREA RADARS FREE OF ANY SHOWERS/STORMS THIS MORNING...ALTHO
CONVECTION IS NOTED OVER SRN OHIO VALLEY JUST SE OF THE COLD FRONT.
MODIFIED BNA AND RNK 12Z SOUNDINGS SHOW ATMOSPHERE WILL BE HIGHLY
UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON WITH CAPES OF 2500-3000 J/KG (LIFTED
INDICES NEAR -7 DEGS C)...WITH A VERY HIGH FREEZING LEVEL AND WET
BULB ZERO HEIGHT.  SO...THREAT OF SEVERE IS VERY LOW AND MAIN
CONCERN WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS DUE TO WEAK WINDS ALOFT.  STORM
MOTION SHOULD BE A VERY SLOW DRIFT TO THE S OR SE.

FOR UPDATE THIS MORNING...WILL REMOVE MENTION OF PATCHY MORNING FOG.
ALSO...BASED ON YESTERDAYS COVERAGE AND LATEST SHORT RANGE MODELS
THINK THAT POPS FOR NE PLATEAU AND SW VA SHOULD BE NUDGED UPWARD BY
10-15 PERCENT...CLOSER TO SE KY POPS IN THE CURRENT GRIDDED
DATABASE.  PROBABLY NO OTHER CHANGES NEEDED FOR NOW.

TG
*********************************************************************
EARLY MORNING FORECAST DISCUSSION
300 AM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

TODAY AND TONIGHT...CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS A COLD FRONT
STRETCHING FROM NEAR DETROIT SOUTHWEST TO NEAR SAINT LOUIS.
SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL A BROKEN LINE OF TSTORMS OCCURRING ALONG THIS
FRONT ACROSS OHIO AND INDIANA. MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH
MOVING THIS FRONT TOWARDS SOUTHWEST VA AND THE NORTHERN PLATEAU BY
00Z THIS EVENING...AND SLOWLY INTO THE FORECAST AREA THEREAFTER
TONIGHT. A STRENGTHENING NORTHWEST UPPER-LEVEL FLOW WILL HELP TO
CREATE A MODERATELY UNSTABLE AIRMASS AHEAD OF THE FRONT...WHICH
SHOULD HELP GENERATE A BROKEN LINE OF TSTORMS ALONG THE FRONT AS IT
MOVES INTO THE FORECAST AREA. WITH THE MODERATELY UNSTABLE AND VERY
MOIST AIRMASS...THINK A FEW TSTORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING
WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. IT APPEARS THAT UPPER-LEVEL
DYNAMICS WILL NOT BE PARTICULARLY STRONG WITH THE FRONT...SO WILL NOT
RAISE POPS INTO THE LIKELY CATEGORY ACROSS SOUTHWEST VA AND NORTHEAST
TN FOR TONIGHT.

LATER PERIODS...MAIN FORECAST CHALLENGE IS HOW MUCH PRECIP WILL
LINGER INTO THE THIRD PERIOD. SURFACE COLD FRONT PASSES THROUGH THE
FORECAST AREA SATURDAY MORNING WITH GFS BEING SLIGHTLY FASTER WITH
THIS PROCESS THAN MESOETA. ANTICIPATE ANY LINGERING PRECIP TO EXIT
THE SOUTHERN TIER BY OOZ SUNDAY. THIS IS SUPPORTED BY THE 21Z
SHORT RANGE ENSEMBLES. BENIGN WEATHER ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST CYCLE AS HEIGHTS RISE IN RESPONSE TO UPPER
RIDGE BUILDING BACK INTO THE REGION AND HIGH PRESSURE DOMINATES AT
THE SURFACE.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS FOLLOW:
CHA   92  71  90  68 /  30  40  30  20
TYS   90  70  87  64 /  30  50  30  10
TRI   87  67  84  60 /  30  50  30  10
OQT   90  70  88  64 /  30  50  30  10

DMG/LCM
*********************************************************************
EVENING FORECAST DISCUSSION (UPDATE)
840 PM EDT THU AUG 21 2003

RADAR TREND SHOWS THUNDERSTORMS ARE SLOWLY DISSIPATING ACROSS THE
FORECAST AREA. PLAN ON REMOVING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT. DUE TO MOSTLY CLEAR SKY AND LIGHT WINDS...
PATCHY FOG EXPECTED LATER TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

CURRENT FORECAST LOWS LOOK GOOD. HAVE A GOOD EVENING.

DH
*********************************************************************

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 22, 4:00 AM EST, 15 hours 35 minutes before

NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002-005-
006-008-230900-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
500 AM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE (TODAY AND TONIGHT)...

A MODERATELY UNSTABLE AND VERY MOIST AIRMASS WILL BE IN PLACE ACROSS
THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION TODAY...AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO
THE AREA TONIGHT. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
BEGIN DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON...BECOMING A LITTLE MORE NUMEROUS
TONIGHT WITH THE FRONT. A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME
SEVERE...BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 60 MPH AND
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL UP TO TWO INCHES PER HOUR.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MRX.

DMG

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 22, 4:05 PM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
505 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

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

0440 PM    COUNTY WIDE               TN   WIND DAMAGE
08/22/03   CARTER                         SEVERAL TREES DOWN
                                          THROUGHOUT THE
                                          COUNTY.
                                          REPORTED BY LAW
                                          ENFORCEMENT.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 5:50 PM EST, 1 hour 45 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
650 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

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

0640 PM    GREENEVILLE               TN   0.75 IN HAIL
08/22/03   GREENE                         REPORTED BY GREENE COUNTY
                                          911.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 6:25 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
725 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

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

0718 PM    BYBEE                     TN   0.75 IN HAIL
08/22/03   COCKE                          BETWEEN BYBEE AND
                                          NEWPORT.  REPORTED BY
                                          COUNTY 911 CENTER.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 6:34 PM EST, 1 hour 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
734 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

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

0710 PM    DEER LODGE                TN   1.00 IN HAIL
08/22/03   MORGAN                         NEAR DEER LODGE.REPORTED
                                          BY MORGAN COUNTY 911.

0710 PM    DEER LODGE                TN   WIND DAMAGE
08/22/03   MORGAN                         A FEW TREES DOWN NEAR
                                          DEER LODGE.  REPORTED BY
                                          MORGAN COUNTY 911.

Local storm report, Aug 22, 7:26 PM EST, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
826 PM EDT FRI AUG 22 2003

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

0535 PM    BEN HUR                   VA   WIND DAMAGE
08/22/03   LEE                            A FEW TREES DOWN IN
                                          MIDDLE PART OF COUNTY.
                                          REPORTED BY LEE COUNTY
                                          911.

The radar

The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When: August 22, 7:35 PM EST
Where: Morgan County, Lancing
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.117, -84.817

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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, August 2003

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: 5378408.