Local atmosphere became strongly unstable during the afternoon and evening and severe convection erupted in this environment ahead of an outflow boundary.
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.
Local atmosphere became strongly unstable during the afternoon and evening and severe convection erupted in this environment ahead of an outflow boundary.
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 Jul 22, 7:27 PM EST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 827 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 .DISCUSSION...REMAINING STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS MAINLY AFFECTING NE TN AND SWRN VA...THUS CLEARED ENTIRE SVR TSTM WATCH #725 AND WRN PARTS OF #727. POPS AND WEATHER GRIDS FRESHENED ALONG WITH THE UPDATE...AND ALL WEB PRODUCTS ALSO UPDATED. CARRIED CHANCE POPS (50 PERCENT OR LESS) OVERNIGHT DUE TO POSSIBILITY FOR MORE MCS TYPE ACTIVITY LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. I LIKE THE LOOK OF NAM-WRF WITH A BREAK OVER NRN AREAS BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WILL UPDATE ZFPMRX AND OTHER PRODUCTS WHEN SVR TSTM WATCH #727 CAN BE CANCELED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 70 87 69 93 70 / 40 50 20 10 10 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 68 86 66 90 66 / 50 50 20 10 10 OAK RIDGE, TN 69 86 66 90 66 / 50 50 20 10 10 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 65 83 62 88 63 / 60 60 20 10 10 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && TG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 930 AM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-231000- 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- 930 AM EDT (830 AM CDT) TUE JUL 22 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY BE SEVERE...PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY...WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AGAIN. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD POSSIBLY BE SEVERE...PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY APPROACH THE REGION BY THE END OF THE WEEK...WITH ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE EACH DAY FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 637 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 TNZ071>074-222330- BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER-NW BLOUNT-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS- 637 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE AFFECT BLOUNT AND SEVIER COUNTIES THROUGH 730 PM... AT 634 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER WEARS VALLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. IN ADDITION TO SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES PRIMARY KILLERS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM THIS EVENING. DMG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
657 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0652 PM HAIL JOHNSON CITY 36.33N 82.37W
07/22/2008 E0.75 INCH WASHINGTON TN AMATEUR RADIO
PENNY HAIL IN JOHNSON CITY.
&&
SEPSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 701 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 NCZ061-222345- CLAY- 701 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE AFFECTING CLAY COUNTY... AT 700 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST OF HAYESVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. SMALL HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALSO REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT TONIGHT FOR THE LOCAL AREA. GM
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
738 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0730 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 NE BYBEE 36.07N 83.14W
07/22/2008 COCKE TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
TREES DOWN ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE COUNTY.
&&
SEPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
803 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0745 PM TSTM WND DMG 6 NW GREENEVILLE 36.23N 82.90W
07/22/2008 GREENE TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
FEW TREES DOWN.
&&
SEPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
809 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0745 PM TSTM WND DMG 5 SW ROGERSVILLE 36.36N 83.07W
07/22/2008 HAWKINS TN AMATEUR RADIO
1 TREE DOWN ON ROUTE 113.
&&
SEPThe Knoxville radar (KMRX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:29 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were reported down eight miles north of Bristol.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 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: 128935.