Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, May 26, 2004

Name: Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, May 26, 2004
Start: 2004-05-26T15:30
End: 2004-05-26T21:00
Location: Tennessee

May 26, 2004 · NWS OHX · 7 events in 5 counties and zones

3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 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: $36,000
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 May 26, 1:30 PM CST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 26, 1:30 PM CST, 2 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
230 PM CDT WED MAY 26 2004

.SHORT TERM...(THROUGH THURSDAY)
CURRENT...LINE OF STORMS (SOME SEVERE) CONTINUE IN E-W FASHION OVER
SOUTHERN KY...WITH EVER SO SLIGHT MOVEMENT TO S. SOME BREAKS IN
CLOUDINESS...ESPECIALLY S...HAS ALLOWED MERCURY TO CLIMB INTO LOWER
TO MID 80S.

FRONTAL BOUNDARY TO N WILL SAG SOUTHWARD. CHANCES FOR RAIN DROP OFF
TONITE AND THU AS RAIN WILL JUST SKIRT BY TO OUR N...MUCH LIKE TODAY.

.LONG TERM...
QUESTION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT FRONT EVER GETS INTO CWA. ALL MODELS
SHOW IT REACHING FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES LATE THU NITE OR EARLY FRI...
B4 MOVING BACK N AS WARM FRONT FRI NITE. WILL KEEP POPS IN CHANCE CAT
HIEST POPS N...AS UNCERTAINTY DEFINITELY EXISTS.

RAIN CHANCES FAIRLY LOW SAT INTO SUN...THEN PICKING UP SUN NITE AND
MON AS FRONT MOVES IN.

AS FOR TEMPS...COMPROMISE LOOKS BEST.

BNA BT 72/86/68/82 5355
CKV BT 68/86/68/82 5355
CSV BE 69/81/67/79 3234
&&

.BNA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

MAG

Hazardous weather outlook, May 26, 8:15 AM CST, 7 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
915 AM CDT WED MAY 26 2004

TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-271030-
BEDFORD-BENTON-CANNON-CHEATHAM-CLAY-COFFEE-CUMBERLAND-DAVIDSON-
DEKALB-DICKSON-FENTRESS-GILES-GRUNDY-HICKMAN-HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-
JACKSON-LAWRENCE-LEWIS-MACON-MARSHALL-MAURY-MONTGOMERY-OVERTON-PERRY-
PICKETT-PUTNAM-ROBERTSON-RUTHERFORD-SMITH-STEWART-SUMNER-TROUSDALE-
VAN BUREN-WARREN-WAYNE-WHITE-WILLIAMSON-WILSON-
915 AM CDT WED MAY 26 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT.
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE AS WELL. MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR
WILL BE PRESENT OVER THE REGION THROUGH TONIGHT. A FRONTAL BOUNDARY
WILL STALL JUST NORTH OF THE MID STATE...AND A SERIES OF
DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE ALONG THE BOUNDARY. CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS
WILL DEVELOP...WITH THE GREATEST COVERAGE EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN
COUNTIES OF THE MID STATE.

LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS MAY RESULT IN PONDING OF WATER ON
ROADS AND RAPID RISES OF SMALL STREAMS. AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40
WILL HAVE THE GREATEST CHANCES FOR HEAVY RAINFALL. THE MAIN SEVERE
WEATHER THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. LARGE HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY
ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TODAY AND TONIGHT.

13

The radar

The Nashville radar (KOHX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Overton

When: May 26, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Overton County, Rickman
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.267, -85.367

Golf ball size hail reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Overton

When: May 26, 3:35 PM CST
Where: Overton County, Rickman
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.267, -85.367

Law enforcement reported trees blew down on 2 houses on Sulphur Rd.

Hail, Robertson

When: May 26, 3:38 PM CST
Where: Robertson County, 5 mi NNW of Springfield
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.567, -86.917

Golf ball size hail was reported.

Thunderstorm Wind, Macon

When: May 26, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Macon County, Underwood
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.617, -85.983

Law enforcement reported several homes were damaged. Trees and power lines were down. The storm blew a tree over a van. There was minor roof damage to the home. Also, a propane tank was blown off its foundation.

Thunderstorm Wind, Robertson

When: May 26, 3:50 PM CST
Where: Robertson County, 4 mi NNE of Springfield
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.550, -86.850

Barns were blown down.

Flash Flood, Putnam

When: May 26, 7:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where: Putnam County, Cookeville
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.141, -85.495 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several streets were flooded in Cookeville with stalled cars.

Hail, Cumberland

When: May 26, 7:17 PM CST
Where: Cumberland County, 8 mi NW of Crossville
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 36.033, -85.133

Law enforcement reported nickel size hail at Plateau Road and I-40.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, May 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5395985, 5395986, 5395990, 5395984, 5395989, 5395987, 5395988.