Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, July 9, 2003

Name: Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, July 9, 2003
Start: 2003-07-09T16:00
End: 2003-07-09T21:00
Location: Tennessee

July 9, 2003 · NWS OHX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

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

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 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 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 Jul 9, 1:35 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 1:35 PM CST, 2 hours 25 minutes before

TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075>080-093>097-100830-

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
235 PM CDT WED JUL 9 2003

LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS THE WESTERN EXTENT OF THE BERMUDA HIGH
OVER THE DEEP SOUTH EXTENDING NORTH ACROSS THE TENNESSEE AND OHIO
VALLEYS. ANOTHER AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WAS CENTERED OVER ONTARIO
CANADA EXTENDING SOUTH THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES REGION. SEPARATING THE
TWO HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS WAS A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONT STRETCHING
EAST TO WEST FROM NEW ENGLAND THROUGH THE UPPER OHIO VALLEY AND INTO
A LOW PRESSURE CENTER LOCATED IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS. ACROSS MIDDLE
TENNESSEE...TEMPERATURES HAD WARMED INTO THE MID AND UPPER 80S WITH
DEW POINTS IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTHWEST WINDS HAD INCREASED TO 10 TO
15 MPH.

ALOFT...THE MAIN FLOW OF WESTERLIES AND THE ASSOCIATED STORM TRACK
CONTINUED ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE U.S.  A RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE EXTENDED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF. SEVERAL SHORT WAVE
TROUGHS WERE MOVING THROUGH THE WESTERLIES OVER THE STATIONARY
FRONT. THE INTERACTION OF THE TWO WAS PRODUCING STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS.

AFTERNOON HEATING HAS WORKED TO DESTABILIZE THE MOIST ATMOSPHERE
IN PLACE OVER THE FORECAST AREA.  SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
HAVE DEVELOPED AND WERE MOVING SLOWLY EAST.

BOTH THE GFS AND ETA MODEL HAVE SIMILAR SOLUTIONS THROUGH 84 HOURS.
AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH THE UPPER
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DROPS SOUTHEAST AND BRINGS WITH IT A COLD FRONT
INTO THE OHIO VALLEY BY THURSDAY EVENING. THE COLD FRONT IS
EXPECTED TO PUSH SOUTHEAST AND REACH MIDDLE TENNESSEE OVERNIGHT
THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY MORNING. COOLER AIR ALOFT ALONG WITH THE SURFACE
FRONT WILL BRING AN INCREASE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...
SOME STORMS COULD BE SEVERE LATE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

AS THE FRONT EXITS THE AREA ON FRIDAY...EXPECT SLIGHTLY COOLER AND
DRIER AIR THE SECOND HALF OF FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. SUNDAY...A SOUTHERN
FLOW RETURNS BRINGING HEAT AND HUMIDITY BACK TO MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

WILL WATCH TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE CLOSELY AS THE PROJECTED PATH IS
INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO BY THE WEEKEND.

.BNA.NONE...

BNA TE 73/86/68/86 3660
CSV TE 69/84/64/83 3661

05

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 9, 4:48 AM CST, 11 hours 12 minutes before

TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075>080-093>097-101030-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
530AM CDT WED JUL 9 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
ON THURSDAY A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE MID STATE. THERE IS A
CHANCE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF THIS FRONT...AND AN
OUTSIDE CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS...MAINLY THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY ON THURSDAY.

MAG

The radar

The Nashville radar (KOHX), 40 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Robertson

When: July 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Robertson County, Coopertown
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.433, -86.950

Sheriff's office reported a tree down in Coopertown.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: July 9, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, Countywide
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.367, -85.650

911 center reported tree limbs were blown down around the county.

Hail, Wilson

When: July 9, 4:29 PM CST
Where: Wilson County, Lebanon
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 36.217, -86.300

Spotter reported quarter size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Smith

When: July 9, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Smith County, Pleasant Shade
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.383, -85.950

Sheriff's office reported a few trees were blown down off Highway 80.

Thunderstorm Wind, Trousdale

When: July 9, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Trousdale County, Hartsville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.400, -86.167

Sheriff's office reported a power line down on a car.

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When: July 9, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Macon County, Lafayette
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.517, -86.033

Sheriff's office reported trees and power lines down about 5 miles north of Lafayette on Highway 10 and also about 5 miles south on Highway 10.

Flash Flood, Clay

When: July 9, 8:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Clay County, Celina
Reported by: DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates: 36.551, -85.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Side streets were closed due to high water. TDOT reported many streams and creeks were out of their banks around the county.

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, July 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: 5369768, 5369772, 5369769, 5369773, 5369770, 5369771, 5369774.