Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 15 to 16, 2004

Name: Heavy Snow in Tennessee, February 15 to 16, 2004
Start: 2004-02-15T21:00
End: 2004-02-16T06:00
Location: Tennessee

February 15 to 16, 2004 · NWS MRX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

mainly across the higher elevations. 1-3 inches fell across the lower elevations of the Tennessee Valley.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5

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.

4-8 inches of snow was reported...mainly across the higher elevations. 1-3 inches fell across the lower elevations of the Tennessee Valley.

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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 15, 8:08 PM EST, 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 15, 8:08 PM EST, 52 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
808 PM EST SUN FEB 15 2004

.DISCUSSION...
SNOWFALL ACCUMULATING THE RAPIDLY THE PAST 2 HOURS ACROSS PARTS OF
NORTHEAST TN AND SOUTHWEST VA BUT ENDING ACROSS SOUTHWEST SECTION OF
FORECAST AREA. UPDATED ZONES FOR HEAVY SNOW WARNING ADDED TO
NORTHEAST TN AND SOUTHWEST VA ZONES. AS SNOW ENDS THIS EVENING NEW
UPDATE WILL BE ISSUED IN A COUPLE HOURS TO END WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES.
&&

.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...SNOW ADVISORY FOR THIS EVENING FOR CHEROKEE AND CLAY COUNTIES.
TN...HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR THIS EVENING FOR
MARION...SEQUATCHIE...BLEDSOE...RHEA...MORGAN...SCOTT...CAMPBELL AND
CLAIBORNE...HANCOCK COUNTIES.
TN...SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE REMAINING COUNTIES IN EAST TENNESSEE.
VA...HEAVY SNOW WARNING FOR LEE...RUSSELL..SCOTT...AND WASHINGTON
COUNTIES.
VA...SNOW ADVISORY FOR THIS EVENING WISE COUNTY.

&&

TD

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 15, 5:15 AM EST, 15 hours 45 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Hancock

When: February 15, 9:00 PM EST to February 16, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Hancock forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.524, -83.222 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

4-8 INCHES OF SNOW

Heavy Snow, Johnson

When: February 15, 9:00 PM EST to February 16, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Johnson forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.455, -81.852 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northwest Carter

When: February 15, 9:00 PM EST to February 16, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Northwest Carter forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.293, -82.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Sullivan

When: February 15, 9:00 PM EST to February 16, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Sullivan forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.513, -82.304 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washington

When: February 15, 9:00 PM EST to February 16, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.293, -82.497 (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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, February 2004

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: 5385579, 5385580, 5385581, 5385582, 5385583.