Strong winds from the remains of Hurricane Ivan blew down many trees and power lines across Middle Tennessee from Thursday evening into early Friday morning. There were 30 incidents on Thursday night where trees had fallen across roadways or downed power lines in Lawrence County alone.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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 episode as NWS OHX wrote it up.
Strong winds from the remains of Hurricane Ivan blew down many trees and power lines across Middle Tennessee from Thursday evening into early Friday morning. There were 30 incidents on Thursday night where trees had fallen across roadways or downed power lines in Lawrence County alone. Many homes in Lawrence County sustained damage from fallen trees and tree limbs. U.S. Highway 64 west and east was blocked for a time in Lawrence County by fallen trees. Lawrence County students enjoyed a day off on Friday due to clean up efforts. In the city of Loretto, a tree fell on a building on Broad Street and caused some structural damage. A pine tree fell on a shed in Tullahoma. A large oak tree in just off Ragsdale Road in Manchester fell on 2 small barns and a lawn tractor. A 100-foot tree fell at the Salters residence on Fuller Hollow Road in Marshall County. Also, a large tree fell on a pick up truck on Derry Street in Shelbyville. The 3 inches of rain on the night of September 16th along with the gusty winds destroyed the Amazing Corn Maize at Rippavilla located in Spring Hill. Damage was estimated to be $17,000. Rippavilla was scheduled to open on Thursday. The corn maize formed a portrait of explorer Meriwether Lewis at the historic Rippavilla Plantation.About 7000 people lost power in Middle Tennessee due to the remains of Hurricane Ivan. In Giles County alone, there was $1.7 million done to the white corn crop. The winds blew down the corn stalks. A business in Ardmore, also in Giles County, lost a roof, and sustained about $50,000 in damages. Also, there was roof damage done to the Giles County High School. The School Board approved funds for a new roof costing $74,619. These damage assessments were from the Emergency Management Director and newspaper clippings.Total damage due to this storm in Middle Tennessee was about $170,000 in property damage and $1.7 million in crop damage.
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 16, 1:56 PM CST, 2 hours 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 256 PM CDT THU SEP 16 2004 .DISCUSSION... IVAN IS CURRENTLY LOCATED JUST NORTH OF SELMA AL. NHC INDICATES THAT 65 KT SUSTAINED WINDS ARE POSSIBLE RIGHT AROUND THE CENTER. THE BULK OF THE RAINFALL CONTINUES TO EXIST TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER. ALTHOUGH SOME REDEVELOPMENT...WHICH IS ALSO INDICATED AS COLDER CLOUD TOPS ON THE IR...HAS OCCURRED TO THE WEST OF THE CENTER ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MS. IVAN IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MOVING TO THE NORTH NORTHEAST AT AROUND 15 MPH. THE CENTER WILL REACH THE CROSSVILLE AREA AROUND 1 PM ON FRIDAY. MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH RAPIDLY DECREASING THE RAINFALL ACROSS AREAS SOUTH OF IVANS CENTER ON FRIDAY. WILL THEREFORE TERMINATE THE FLOOD WATCH EARLIER THAN BEFORE AND WILL NOW SCHEDULE THE EXPIRATION OF THE WATCH FOR 6PM FRIDAY ALONG THE PLATEAU AND NOON ON FRIDAY ACROSS THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE WATCH AREA. THUS FAR...RAINFALL TOTALS OF GENERALLY 1/4 TO 1/2 OF AN INCH HAS FALLEN OVER THE FLOOD WATCH AREA. WITH STORM TOTAL QPF AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES EXPECTED...IT IS UNLIKELY THAT RIVER FLOODING WILL BE WIDESPREAD ENOUGH TO WARRANT CONTINUING THE FLOOD WATCH INTO FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY. ANOTHER DANGEROUS ASPECT OF IVAN WILL BE THE ELEVATED WIND SPEEDS. CURRENTLY ACROSS AL...WINDS ARE GENERALLY SUSTAINED IN THE 20-40 MPH RANGE WITH GUSTS UP TO 50-55 MPH. LOCALIZED HIGHER WIND SPEEDS AND GUSTS ARE ALSO LIKELY. AS IVAN MOVES ACROSS CHATTANOOGA AROUND SUNRISE FRIDAY MORNING...THE PRESSURE GRADIENTS WILL BE THE TIGHTEST ACROSS THE PLATEAU. WILL THEREFORE INTRODUCE A WIND ADVISORY FOR TONIGHT AND FRIDAY FOR THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BEGIN TO TAPER OFF ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS IVAN MOVES INTO NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF TN. CLOUDS WILL SLOWLY DECREASE FRIDAY NIGHT AND PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES ARE EXPECTED FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. IN THE EXTENDED...THE GFS SOLUTION INDICATES THAT THE REMNANTS OF IVAN WILL STALL OUT AND ACTUALLY MOVE BACK TO THE WEST TOWARD MIDDLE TN. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY AS TO WHETHER THIS WILL HAPPEN OR NOT...WILL ONLY INTRODUCE A 20-30 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHOWERS THOUGH THE EXTENDED. && .BNA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... TN...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL NOON FRIDAY FOR TNZ057>062-075-093>095. TN...FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 6 PM CDT FRIDAY FOR TNZ011-032>034-063>066-077>080. TN...WIND ADVISORY THROUGH FRIDAY FOR TNZ011-032>034-063>066-077>080. && 21
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 455 PM CDT THU SEP 16 2004 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-171030- 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- 455 PM CDT THU SEP 16 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE TONIGHT. FLOODING IS POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AREAS. ADDITIONALLY...WINDS WILL INCREASE TO AROUND 40 MPH ALONG THE PLATEAU AND SOUTH...AND TO NEAR 35 MPH ELSEWHERE. WIND GUSTS MAY BECOME HIGHER AT TIMES. THIS IN CONJUNCTION WITH WET GROUNDS MAY CAUSE TREES TO BE BLOWN DOWN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE PRESENT TPC FORECAST HAS THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IVAN PASSING OVER THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU REGION FRIDAY MORNING...AND INTO EAST TENNESSEE FRIDAY AFTERNOON. FLOODING WILL REMAIN THE MAIN THREAT THROUGH FRIDAY...ESPECIALLY EAST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS MAY BE NEEDED LATER TONIGHT AS THE REMNANTS OF IVAN WORK JUST SOUTH AND EAST OF THE AREA.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, September 2004
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: 5421836, 5421835, 5421834, 5421885, 5421888, 5421891, 5421837, 5421838, 5421884, 5421839, 5421840, 5421889, 5421892, 5421890, 5421841, 5421886, 5421887.