A boundary across the area triggered isolated severe thunderstorm during the afternoon and evening hours. Most of the damage reports contained damaging thunderstorm winds.
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.
A boundary across the area triggered isolated severe thunderstorm during the afternoon and evening hours. Most of the damage reports contained damaging thunderstorm winds. With the slow movement of the storms, isolated flash flooding also occurred.
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 Aug 16, 2:15 PM EST, 2 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 315 PM EDT SUN AUG 16 2009 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)...TROPICAL STORM CLAUDETTE FORECAST TO WEAKEN AS IT MOVES FROM NE GLFMEX TO NE MS BY MON AFTN. LOW LEVEL RIDGE WEAKENS OVER S APPALACHIANS RESULTING IN AN INCREASE IN SOUTHERLY FLOW. PWS INCREASE TO NEAR 2.00 BY TUE. CAPES ARE PROGGED TO RISE THROUGH THE PERIOD. GOOD COVERAGE OF CONVECTION EXPECTED EACH DAY AIDED BY DAY TIME HEATING. OVERNIGHT CONVECTION ALSO POSSIBLE DUE TO OLD OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AND LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE. ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS CONTINUE. .LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY)...A SHORTWAVE TRACKS THROUGH THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. WITH AMPLE MOISTURE AVAILABLE...WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS GOING FOR WEDNESDAY. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TRACKS THROUGH ON THURSDAY...WILL KEEP CHANCE POPS GOING FOR THURSDAY AS WELL. A FRONT FOLLOWS ON FRIDAY. WILL CONTINUE THE CHANCE POPS GOING INTO FRIDAY. THE FRONT SHOULD EXITS THE CWA ON SATURDAY...WILL KEEP ONLY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS GOING FOR SATURDAY. DRY WEATHER RETURNS ON SUNDAY. STAYED NEAR MEX GUIDANCE FOR TEMPERATURES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 72 88 71 88 70 / 20 50 30 50 40 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 69 87 70 86 69 / 20 40 30 50 40 OAK RIDGE, TN 69 87 69 86 69 / 20 40 30 50 40 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 63 87 64 85 66 / 20 30 20 50 30 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && SON/GH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 415 AM EDT SUN AUG 16 2009 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-170815- 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- 415 AM EDT SUN AUG 16 2009 /315 AM CDT SUN AUG 16 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. TG
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 32 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:50 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement personnel reported one tree downed by thunderstorm winds on Providence Road northeast of Sevierville.
The utility company personnel reported a few trees and powerlines downed by thunderstorm winds in Sevierville.
Law enforcement personnel reported numerous trees downed by thunderstorm winds |in Johnson City.
Flash flooding was reported in Johnson City with numerous roads with several inches of water over the roads.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, August 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: 192195, 192201, 192205, 194676.