An area of low pressure tracked across east Tennessee on the 1st day of the month. The increased pressure gradient resulted in damaging non-thunderstorm winds across the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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 MRX wrote it up.
An area of low pressure tracked across east Tennessee on the 1st day of the month. The increased pressure gradient resulted in damaging non-thunderstorm winds across the region. The strongest winds and the most damage was across the higher elevations.
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 Jan 31, 9:15 PM EST, 5 hours 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
915 PM EST THU JAN 31 2008
.DISCUSSION...
CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER
NORTHERN MS...WITH A DRY AIR MASS REMAINING ACROSS NORTHEAST TN AND
SOUTHWEST VA. AREA RADARS REVEAL SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUING TO
MOVE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA...WITH THE BOUNDARY LAYER GRADUALLY
MOISTENING WITH TIME. WITH VERY DRY AIR OVER NORTHEAST TN AND
SOUTHWEST VA...EVAPORATING COOLING IS A CONCERN AS MODERATE SHOWERS
MOVE INTO THESE AREAS...BUT DEWPOINTS HAVE BEEN RISING RAPIDLY AS
THESE SHOWERS MOVE OVER THE OBSERVATION SITES. THUS...THINK THAT
TEMPS WILL REMAIN ABOVE FREEZING TONIGHT AND WILL NOT MENTION ANY
WINTRY PRECIP.
AS FOR WINDS...MODELS CONTINUE TO REVEAL A STRENGTHENING SOUTH TO
SOUTHEASTERLY LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS OVERNIGHT...
WITH 850 MB WINDS EXCEEDING 70 KT BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND SUNRISE.
ALTHOUGH WINDS WILL NOT BE PERFECTLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE MOUNTAIN
RIDGES...THINK THAT MOUNTAIN WAVES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE FOOTHILLS
OVERNIGHT WITH A DEEP STABLE LAYER IN PLACE. COVE MOUNTAIN FIRE
TOWER (NEAR GATLINBURG) IS CURRENTLY REPORTING SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST
WIND GUSTS UP TO 42 KT...WHILE POWELL MOUNTAIN FIRE TOWER (NEAR
TAZEWELL) IS REPORTING SOUTHEAST WIND GUSTS UP TO 39 KT. THUS...
THINK THAT THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS LOOKS GOOD...AND
WILL ALSO MENTION THE POSSIBILITY OF HIGH WINDS FOR THE FOOTHILLS.
OVERALL...WILL UPDATE THIS EVENING MAINLY TO REMOVE EVENING PRECIP
WORDING AND TO LOWER MINS.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 38 45 28 59 32 / 100 50 0 10 10
KNOXVILLE AIRPORT, TN 38 44 26 55 31 / 100 60 10 10 10
OAK RIDGE, TN 38 44 24 55 30 / 100 60 10 10 10
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 37 45 23 54 26 / 100 100 10 10 10
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
CHEROKEE...CLAY.
TN...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
CAMPBELL...CLAIBORNE...MORGAN...SCOTT TN.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 AM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
JOHNSON...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST CARTER...
SOUTHEAST GREENE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...UNICOI.
LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: BLEDSOE...MARION...SEQUATCHIE.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 7 AM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
EAST POLK.
VA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
LEE...RUSSELL...SCOTT...WASHINGTON...WISE.
&&
DMGHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 1045 PM EST THU JAN 31 2008 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-011000- CHEROKEE-CLAY-SCOTT TN-CAMPBELL-CLAIBORNE-HANCOCK-HAWKINS- SULLIVAN-JOHNSON-MORGAN-ANDERSON-UNION-GRAINGER-HAMBLEN- NORTHWEST COCKE-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTHWEST GREENE- SOUTHEAST GREENE-WASHINGTON TN-UNICOI-NORTHWEST CARTER- SOUTHEAST CARTER-ROANE-LOUDON-KNOX-JEFFERSON-NW BLOUNT- BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS- SEQUATCHIE-BLEDSOE-RHEA-MEIGS-MCMINN-NORTHWEST MONROE- SOUTHEAST MONROE-MARION-HAMILTON-BRADLEY-WEST POLK-EAST POLK-LEE- WISE-SCOTT-RUSSELL-WASHINGTON- 1045 PM EST (945 PM CST) THU JAN 31 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRENGTHENING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING STRONG WINDS ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS TONIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. IN ADDITION TO AFFECTING THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...THESE STRONG WINDS COULD ALSO IMPACT THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS OF THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS. PLEASE SEE MEMNPWMRX FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION ON TUESDAY NIGHT... BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ON FRIDAY FOR WIND REPORTS IN AND NEAR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...AND AGAIN ON TUESDAY NIGHT. DMG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Park officials reported a wind gust to 71 mph (62 knots) at the Coker Creek RAWS station.
The sheriff's office reported several trees down around Chilhowee Mountain. Trees were also reported down along Little River Road and the Foothills Parkway.
Park officials reported a wind gust to 90 mph (78 knots) at the Cove Mountain observation station. The strong winds resulted in several reports of downed trees and damage to structures.
The public reported several trees down around Hartford.
The sheriff's office reported several trees down throughout the county. In addition...a portable outhouse was blown across the road and a billboard was destroyed.
The sheriff's office reported a few trees down in the Camp Creek area... mainly along the secondary roads.
The sheriff's office reported structural damage to several buildings in Etowah.
The sheriff's office reported several trees down near Tellico Plains and along the Cherohala Skyway.
The sheriff's office reported numerous trees down throughout the county.
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, February 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: 78232, 78233, 78234, 78236, 78237, 78244, 78253, 78257, 78258.