27 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 27 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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 Sep 22, 1:15 AM CST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 215 AM CDT MON SEP 22 2003 LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWING CENTER OF CLOSED LOW WEST OF JAN... WITH INVERTED TROF AXIS EXTENDING UP ACROSS WEST TN. ALOFT...TROF AXES HOLDING TO THE WEST...WITH ML JET STREAK WORKING OVER THE EASTERN CWA. WIDESPREAD RAIN CONTINUES...WITH BAND OF HEAVIER PRECIP BETWEEN BNA-CSV RESULTING FROM ML STREAK. MODELS REMAIN IN PRETTY DECENT AGREEMENT WITH PROGRESSION OF THIS SYSTEM...ADVANCING ML/UL TROF AXES RAPIDLY EASTWARD TODAY. WAVE ALONG SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL RIDE UP INTO TN VALLEY LATER THIS MORNING EVENTUALLY DRAGGING FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO THE BNA VICINITY AROUND 17Z...THEN THROUGH CSV 21Z OR SO. ENHANCED UVV FROM STREAK AND DEEPER MOISTURE LOOKING TO VACATE THE CWA JUST AHEAD OF THE SURFACE BOUNDARY. THUS...CURRENT WIDESPREAD LIGHT-MODERATE RAINFALL EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING...THEN TAPER-OFF DURING THE AFTERNOON AS THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY PASSES. BAND OF HEAVY RAIN NEAR ENTRANCE REGION SHOULD MOVE EAST AT A FAIR CLIP AND TRAINING AFFECT SHOULD STAY BELOW FF GUIDANCE. DO NOT PLAN WATCH AT THIS TIME. WILL CONTINUE CATEGORICAL POPS TODAY...ENDING PRECIP THIS AFTERNOON ALL AREAS. RAPID DRYING COMMENSING TONIGHT...AND NO RAIN IN SIGHT AFTER THAT TIME UNTIL SMALL CHANCE WITH WEAK LL BOUNDARY ON THURSDAY. BNA 78/57/78/52 +000 CKV 77/55/77/50 8000 CSV 73/51/73/47 +1-- 07 .BNA...NONE.
TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075>080-093>097-231030- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 530 AM CDT MON SEP 22 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE THIS AFTERNOON BRINGING AND END TO THE PRECIPITATION BY THIS EVENING. THIS MORNING HOWEVER...LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL WILL REMAIN WIDESPREAD ACROSS THE AREA. RAINFALL MAY BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES WITH AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE LOCALLY. THIS HEAVY RAIN WILL LEAVE WATER STANDING ON ROADWAYS AND POSSIBLY BRING SOME CREEKS AND STREAMS TO NEAR BANKFULL. LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING IS ALSO POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS IS NOT EXPECTED. 07
TNZ007-008-026>028-059-062-221300- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 530 AM CDT MON SEP 22 2003 WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE AND OCCASIONALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE METRO AREA THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES OVERNIGHT HAVE BEEN COMMON. WHILE HEAVY RAINFALL HAS STAYED LIMITED JUST ENOUGH TO KEEP CREEKS AND STREAMS FROM OVER-SPILLING THEIR BANKS...PLENTY HAS FALLEN TO LEAVE SIGNIFICANT WATER STANDING ON MOST AREA ROADSWAY...INCLUDING THE INTERSTATES. HYDROPLANING IS A VERY GOOD POSSIBILITY ON THIS MORNINGS COMMUTE AND DRIVERS SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS AND LEAVE A LITTLE EXTRA TIME TO REACH YOUR DESTINATION. 07
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:57 UTC.
27 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Davidson County Office of Emergency Management reported Mill Creek overflowed its banks and came onto the intersection of Nolensville Road and Bluff Road. A Mercedes-Benz was swept downstream, and a person had to be rescued from the top of his car.
Hamilton Church Pike was flooded and impassable.
Spotter reported a foot of water at the intersection of Bell Road and I-24.
The Brentwood YMCA parking lot was flooded.
Spotter reported street flooding on Baker Road and Carters Creek Rd. Some motorists were temporarily stranded on several rural roads according to newspaper accounts.
Flooding was occuring on Thompson Lane and Old Glenn Rd. Mill Creek was out of its banks.
TDOT reported a few streams were out of their banks, but no roads were flooded. There was high water on some slabs. High water was reported at the intersection of Old Nashville Highway and Lokey Avenue, at the railroad overpass.
Newspaper account of a road closed in La Vergne due to high water, at Old Nashville Highway, under the railroad underpass.
About 6 inches of water on several low spots on Central Pike in Wilson County.
Tulip Grove Road was closed and barricaded due to high water about 1/2 mile south of the intersection of Lebanon Pike and Tulip Grove Road. Stoner Creek was out of its banks at this location. Also, Stoner Creek flooded a home on Andrew Jackson Parkway in Hermitage.
Sheriff's office reported high water on many roads around the county.
Sheriff's office reported a few streams out of their banks.
TDOT placed high water signs on roads in the northern part of the county.
Flooding was occurring at the intersection of Old Lebanon Dirt Road and Mt. Juliet Road. Water was getting into a bank and into some homes. Flooding was occurring at a nearby parking lot of a strip mall, named Valley Center. Two men were seen canoeing in a Little League ball field in Mt. Juliet.
TDOT reported 11/2 foot of water on Shiloh Road.
Sheriff's office reported 6 to 12 inches of water on many roads around the county.
Local Police Department reported 6 to 12 inches of water on roads.
Local Police Department reported 6 to 12 inches of water on roads.
TDOT reported many roads were closed due to high water in Gallatin, Hendersonville, Bethpage and Westmoreland. In a new subdivision off Harris Road in Portland, water got into a home on Willow Court.
TDOT reported high water on many roads throughout the county.
Sheriff's office reported high water on many roads throughout the county, but Pelham was the hardest hit due to road closures.
NWS employee reported Needmore Road was closed due to Shutes Branch coming out of its banks.
Sheriff's office reported 6 inches of water on many roads throughout the county.
High water over roads.
Heavy rains produced a mudslide along Interstate 40.
Many roads were under high water.
Several roads were under water across the eastern part of the county, including Allardt.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, September 2003
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: 5337787, 5374604, 5374542, 5337788, 5374540, 5374541, 5374861, 5374862, 5374538, 5374539, 5374537, 5374528, 5374529, 5374530, 5374531, 5374532, 5374533, 5374534, 5374535, 5374536, 5337795, 5337794, 5337792, 5337793, 5337790, 5337791, 5337789.