An upper level disturbance tracked through the area during the early morning hours triggering isolated severe thunderstorms with it. Storm reports were primarily wind damage.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 MRX wrote it up.
An upper level disturbance tracked through the area during the early morning hours triggering isolated severe thunderstorms with it. Storm reports were primarily wind 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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 10, 1:00 AM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
100 AM EST WED DEC 10 2008
.AVIATION...LARGE BAND OF SHOWERS...WITH A LITTLE EMBEDDED THUNDER
NEAR CHA...MOVING INTO TAF SITES OVERNIGHT. WILL SEE VIS AND CIGS
DROP...GENERALLY INTO MVFR TO IFR CATEGORIES...AS SHOWERS MOVE
THROUGH. THE SHOWERS AND ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO
EFFECT THE AREA THROUGH 18Z. SHOWERS SHOULD DIMINISH IN COVERAGE
AFTER 18Z. WILL CONTINUE TO SEE GUSTY WINDS THROUGH 18Z...THEN
SLOWLY DECREASE. LLWS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT...MAINLY IN
NORTHERN AREAS...NEAR TRI.
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...HIGH WIND WARNING TIL 1 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: CHEROKEE...CLAY.
TN...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM EST /12 PM CST/ WEDNESDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: ANDERSON...BLEDSOE...CAMPBELL...
CLAIBORNE...HAMILTON...JOHNSON...MARION...MORGAN...RHEA...
ROANE...SCOTT TN...SEQUATCHIE...SOUTHEAST CARTER...UNICOI.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
EAST POLK...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST GREENE...
SOUTHEAST MONROE.
VA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
WISE.
&&
MJBSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 231 AM EST WED DEC 10 2008 TNZ098-100830- MARION- 131 AM CST WED DEC 10 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE AFFECTING MARION COUNTY... AT 124 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR SOUTH PITTSBURG...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. SMALL HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH PER HOUR...MAY OCCUR WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS...AND POSSIBLE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. TURN AROUND DONT DROWN MJB
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 251 AM EST WED DEC 10 2008 TNZ099-100845- HAMILTON- 251 AM EST WED DEC 10 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE AFFECTING HAMILTON COUNTY... AT 142 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR... CHATTANOOGA BY 300 AM EST. HARRISON BY 315 AM EST. SMALL HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 55 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH PER HOUR...MAY OCCUR WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS...AND POSSIBLE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. TURN AROUND DONT DROWN MJB
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:09 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement reported 2 trees and powerlines downed by thunderstorm winds in Chattanooga.
Law enforcement reported several trees and powerlines downed by thunderstorm winds countywide. A barn in Cleveland was also damaged.
Law enforcement reported 2 trees downed by thunderstorm winds.
Law enforcement reported several trees and powerlines downed by thunderstorm winds in Benton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, December 2008
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: 145999, 145896, 145899, 145897.