Heavy Snow in Tennessee, December 18 to 19, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in Tennessee, December 18 to 19, 2003
Start: 2003-12-18T18:00
End: 2003-12-19T16:00
Location: Tennessee

December 18 to 19, 2003 · NWS MRX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

8-18 inches of snow fell across the East Tennessee mountains. 5 inches of snow reported near Trade in Johnson Co.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

8-18 inches of snow fell across the East Tennessee mountains. 17.5 inches of snow reported near Trade in Johnson Co. 15 inches fell around Mt Leconte and Newfound Gap in Sevier Co. 1-4 inches was reported over the Northern Tennessee Valley and Cumberland Plateau.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Blount/Smoky Mountains

When: December 18, 6:00 PM EST to December 19, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Blount/Smoky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.687, -83.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cocke/Smoky Mountains

When: December 18, 6:00 PM EST to December 19, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Cocke/Smoky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.925, -83.121 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Johnson

When: December 18, 6:00 PM EST to December 19, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.455, -81.852 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

8-18 inches of snow

Heavy Snow, Sevier/Smoky Mountains

When: December 18, 6:00 PM EST to December 19, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Sevier/Smoky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.785, -83.524 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southeast Carter

When: December 18, 6:00 PM EST to December 19, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Southeast Carter forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.293, -82.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southeast Greene

When: December 18, 6:00 PM EST to December 19, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Southeast Greene forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.175, -82.846 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Unicoi

When: December 18, 6:00 PM EST to December 19, 4:00 PM EST
Where: Unicoi forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.111, -82.432 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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, December 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5332054, 5332055, 5332056, 5332057, 5332058, 5332059, 5332060.