Weak low level meso-scale convective vorticity maximum over middle Tennessee created forcing for ascent. Pulse convection developed in a region of moderate instability and weak deep layer shear affecting Southeast Tennessee and Southwest North Carolina.
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The episode as NWS MRX wrote it up.
Weak low level meso-scale convective vorticity maximum over middle Tennessee created forcing for ascent. Pulse convection developed in a region of moderate instability and weak deep layer shear affecting Southeast Tennessee and Southwest North Carolina.
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 May 15, 1:49 PM EST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 249 PM EDT FRI MAY 15 2009 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT AND SATURDAY)...SCATTERED CONVECTION OVER THE AREA AT THE MOMENT. COULD BE SOME PULSE SEVERE STORMS...AND HEAVY RAIN WITH THREAT OF FLOODING DUE TO SLOW MOVEMENT. WILL CARRY CHANCE POPS FOR EARLY TONIGHT BEFORE DROPPING TO SLIGHT CHANCE AFTER MIDNIGHT. COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA ON SATURDAY...SO SHOULD SEE INCREASE IN SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WILL CARRY LIKELY TO LOW CAT POPS FOR THIS. WILL NOT STRAY FAR FROM MAV TEMPS. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)...MAIN ISSUE FOR LONG TERM REMAINS LATE SATURDAY/EARLY SUNDAY EVENT. STILL SOME SLIGHT TIMING DIFFERENCES ESPECIALLY WITH DEPARTURE OF SYSTEM. DID NOT MAKE ANY PROFOUND CHANGES TO PREVIOUS GRIDS/FORECAST OTHER THAN TO INCREASE POPS SOMEWHAT TO CATEGORICAL FOR SATURDAY NIGHT. ANTICIPATE MOST OF PRECIP SHOULD DEPART BY SUNDAY NIGHT WITH BALANCE OF LONG TERM LOOKING DRY AT THIS TIME. EUROPEAN MODEL DOES DEPICT WEAK FRONT DROPPING INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION BY LATE THURSDAY BUT THIS IS NOT DEPICTED BY GFS OR A MAJORITY OF THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS AND WILL BE DISCOUNTED FOR NOW. TEMPS WILL GENERALLY MODERATE FROM WELL BELOW CLIMO EARLY IN THE LONG TERM TO NEAR CLIMO BY LATE IN THE PERIOD. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 65 81 60 65 46 / 40 80 80 50 10 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 64 81 58 62 43 / 40 80 80 50 10 OAK RIDGE, TN 64 82 57 64 43 / 40 80 80 50 10 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 61 80 55 61 41 / 40 70 80 60 10 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && LDW/LCM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 306 AM EDT FRI MAY 15 2009 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-160715- 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- 306 AM EDT FRI MAY 15 2009 /206 AM CDT FRI MAY 15 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALIZED HEAVY RAINFALL. SOME FLOODING PROBLEMS ARE POSSIBLE. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
233 PM EDT FRI MAY 15 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0150 PM HAIL SUNBRIGHT 36.24N 84.67W
05/15/2009 E0.75 INCH MORGAN TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
PENNY SIZE HAIL AT CHESNUT RIDGE NEAR SUNBRIGHT. REPORTED
BY DISPATCH.
&&
GRCSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 249 PM EDT FRI MAY 15 2009 TNZ071>074-151945- BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER-NW BLOUNT-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS- 249 PM EDT FRI MAY 15 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE AFFECTING BLOUNT AND SEVIER COUNTIES... AT 249 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES WEST OF GATLINBURG...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. IN ADDITION TO SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS...CONTINUOUS 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. 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 DH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
417 PM EDT FRI MAY 15 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0405 PM HAIL 10 S MARYVILLE 35.60N 83.97W
05/15/2009 E0.88 INCH BLOUNT TN TRAINED SPOTTER
NICKLE SIZE HAIL JUST NORTH OF TALLASSEE...BUT IN BLOUNT
COUNTY. REPORTED BY TRAINED SPOTTER.
&&
GRCThe Knoxville radar (KMRX), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:48 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A few trees were reported down from Pine Log to Hayesville.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, May 2009
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: 171353.