Heavy Snow, Benton
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Benton forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.070, -88.068 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Tennessee, January 16, 2003
Heavy snow moved into Middle Tennessee faster and heavier than forecasters thought. There was as much as 8 inches of snow in Gallatin and 7 inches at the NWS Office at Old Hickory.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 24 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 24
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 OHX wrote it up.
Heavy snow moved into Middle Tennessee faster and heavier than forecasters thought. There was as much as 8 inches of snow in Gallatin and 7 inches at the NWS Office at Old Hickory. Specific amounts as of 4 PM were:GALLATIN 8 INCHES (SPOTTER)GAINESBORO 5 INCHES (SPOTTER)CLARKSVILLE 4 INCHES (SPOTTER)CROSSVILLE 3-5 INCHES WITH A FEW 5-6 INCHES. (LAW ENFORCEMENT)ALLARDT 2.8 INCHES (CO-OP OBSERVER)DICKSON 5.0 INCHES (CO-OP OBSERVER)SPARTA 2.8 INCHES (CO-OP OBSERVER)NWS OLD HICKORY 7.0 INCHES. This amount at NWS OLD HICKORY ties the record snowfall for January 16. Downtown Nashville had 7 inches of snow by 145 PM CST. 7 inches of snowfall was recorded in Nashville on January 16, 1948. The snow began to fall in the Metro Nashville area around 8 AM. The snow shut down the city with schools, businesses and government agencies shutting down early. Motorists were stranded in slow-moving or non-moving traffic. It took hours to get cross town. Tracker trailer trucks could not move on the interstates or jack-knifed, which resulted in grid lock. Since schools let out early, parents rushed to pick them up. Schools closed at 9 AM, right in the middle of the storm. Many school buses were stranded in the snow and some students didn't get home until 10 PM. At one point, 60 busues were stranded throughout the city. Also, some students were kept in schools with food, heat and water. Other students were sent home with teachers or school officials with 4 wheel drive vehicles. Parents were angry because students were either kept at school or because their child had to ride in 4 wheel drive vehicles with strangers. I-65 was backed up for 5 hours from Nashville to the Kentucky border. A newspaper story stated that many motorists had to relieve themselves in their vehicles because of the grid lock.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
24 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Cheatham
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cheatham forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.261, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Clay
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Clay forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.551, -85.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Davidson
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Davidson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.171, -86.777 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Dekalb
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dekalb forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.980, -85.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Dickson
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Dickson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.149, -87.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Houston
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Houston forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.286, -87.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Humphreys
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Humphreys forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.041, -87.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Jackson
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jackson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.359, -85.673 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Macon
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Macon forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.532, -86.007 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Montgomery
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Montgomery forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.497, -87.383 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Robertson
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Robertson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.526, -86.871 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Smith
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Smith forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.251, -85.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Stewart
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Stewart forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.501, -87.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Sumner
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Sumner forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.469, -86.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Trousdale
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Trousdale forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.392, -86.157 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Wilson
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Wilson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 36.155, -86.298 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Cannon
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Cannon forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.809, -86.062 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Coffee
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Coffee forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.491, -86.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Hickman
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Hickman forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.803, -87.473 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Maury
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Maury forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.617, -87.077 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Perry
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Perry forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.643, -87.859 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Rutherford
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Rutherford forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.843, -86.417 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Williamson
- When
- January 16, 11:00 AM CST to 4:00 PM CST
- Where
- Williamson forecast zone
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 35.894, -86.899 (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
- Ice Storm in Kansas, January 16, 2003
- Ice Storm in Kansas, January 16, 2003
- Winter Storm in Tennessee, January 16, 2003
- Winter Storm in Virginia, January 16 to 17, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Kentucky, January 16 to 17, 2003
- Winter Storm in Kentucky, January 16, 2003
- Heavy Snow in Georgia, January 16 to 17, 2003
- Ice Storm in Kansas, January 16, 2003
- Winter Storm in Virginia, January 16 to 17, 2003
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, January 16 to 17, 2003
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 16, 2003
- Winter Storm in Missouri, January 16, 2003
More
Every storm in Tennessee in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, January 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: 5341710, 5341711, 5341712, 5341713, 5341714, 5341715, 5341716, 5341717, 5341718, 5341719, 5341720, 5341721, 5341722, 5341723, 5341724, 5341725, 5341726, 5341727, 5341728, 5341729, 5341730, 5341731, 5341732, 5341733.