Flash Flooding and Hail in Tennessee, August 27, 2003

Name: Flash Flooding and Hail in Tennessee, August 27, 2003
Start: 2003-08-27T12:40
End: 2003-08-27T15:30
Location: Tennessee

August 27, 2003 · NWS OHX · 8 events in 6 counties and zones

5 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 Aug 27, 8:36 AM CST, 4 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 27, 8:36 AM CST, 4 hours 4 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
936 AM CDT WED AUG 27 2003

CURRENTLY, MORNING CONVECTION AROUND THE WAYNESBORO/LAWRENCEBURG
AREAS APPEARS TO BE DIMINISHING. SKIES ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE
MID STATE REMAIN PARTLY CLOUDY, WITH 900 AM TEMPERATURES ALREADY IN
THE LOWER 80S -- UPPER 70S ALONG THE PLATEAU.

MORNING SOUNDING FROM OHX SHOWS ARE VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE
ENVIRONMENT, WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER UP TO 1.86 INCHES, A K-INDEX OF
37, AND A TOTALS INDEX AN EVEN 50. THE LIFTED INDEX STANDS AT -7.1,
AND THE POSITIVE AREA HAS GROWN TO 3541 J/KG.

SURFACE ANALYSIS AT 13Z SHOWS A COLD FRONT STILL NORTH OF THE OHIO
VALLEY, WHILE THE UPPER AIR ANALYSES SHOW WEAK CONFLUENT FLOW AT 850
MB. OTHERWISE, STRONG HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO DOMINATE OUR
WEATHER ON THE SYNOPTIC SCALE, WITH THE RIDGE AXIS STILL SITUATED TO
THE WEST OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

12Z MODEL DATA IS NOW STARTING TO TRICKLE IN FOLLOWING A NIGHT
WITHOUT IT. OTHERWISE, BELIEVE THE CURRENT ZONE FORECAST PRODUCT IS
ON TRACK.

.BNA...NONE.

ROSE

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 27, 5:40 AM CST, 7 hours before

TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075>080-093>097-281030-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
640 AM CDT WED AUG 27 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE TODAY
AND THIS EVENING. HEAT AND HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE HEAT
INDEX READINGS AROUND 100 DEGREES IN MUCH OF THE MID STATE THIS
AFTERNOON. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR MAINLY DURING THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING EACH DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THE PROBABILITY
FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

ACTIVATION OF SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS IS NOT LIKELY.

31/13

The radar

The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:42 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Giles

When: August 27, 12:40 PM CST
Where: Giles County, Minor Hill
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.050, -87.150

Trees and power lines were down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wayne

When: August 27, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Wayne County, Collinwood
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.183, -87.750

Power lines were knocked down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sumner

When: August 27, 1:08 PM CST
Where: Sumner County, Hendersonville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.283, -86.617

Trees and power lines were down. There was roof damage to the Nannie Berry Elementary School. A portion of the roof collapsed. A 36,000 square-foot section of the roof over 4 classrooms was ripped off. Estimated damage to the school was at $50,000. Nearby to the elementary school, straight line winds also destroyed the scoreboard to the Ellis Middle School.

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When: August 27, 1:10 PM CST
Where: Franklin County, Winchester
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.183, -86.117

A tree was blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Davidson

When: August 27, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Davidson County, Antioch
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.067, -86.667

Large tree limbs were blown down.

Hail, Davidson

When: August 27, 2:12 PM CST
Where: Davidson County, Donelson
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.167, -86.650

Penny size hail was reported near BNA airport.

Flash Flood, Wayne

When: August 27, 2:20 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Wayne County, Collinwood
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.240, -87.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Street flooding was reported.

Flash Flood, Lawrence

When: August 27, 2:25 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Lawrence County, Lawrenceburg
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.217, -87.396 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Street flooding was reported.

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.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

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: 5332858, 5332859, 5332861, 5332860, 5332862, 5332863, 5332864, 5332865.