Two thunderstorm complexes moved out of southern Kentucky into Middle Tennessee as a result of strong northwesterly flow aloft. The first one moved across the Cumberland Plateau Region during the afternoon hours, while the second one moved across western and central portions of the mid state during the evening hours.
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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 OHX wrote it up.
Two thunderstorm complexes moved out of southern Kentucky into Middle Tennessee as a result of strong northwesterly flow aloft. The first one moved across the Cumberland Plateau Region during the afternoon hours, while the second one moved across western and central portions of the mid state during the evening hours. Several counties received thunderstorm wind damage, mainly in the form of downed trees and building damage, and one person was struck by lightning.
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 Nashville, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 4, 12:22 PM CST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 122 PM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009 .AVIATION...CONVECTION IS FIRING ALONG THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU, WITH A HIGHLY UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT IN PLACE ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE TODAY. MAY SEE SOME CONVECTION AT BNA/CSV DURING THE AFTERNOON, BUT ESPECIALLY OVERNIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MAKES ITS WAY ACROSS THE MID STATE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1037 AM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009/ UPDATE...IT WAS MOSTLY SUNNY AND WARM ACROSS THE MID STATE THIS MORNING, WITH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING OUT OF THE 70S AND THROUGH THE 80S. THE FORECAST PROBLEM FOR TODAY CONSISTS OF SEVERAL PARTS. FIRST, WHICH AREAS WILL SEE THE BEST CHANCE FOR AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS AND HOW HOT WILL IT GET? THE 12Z OHX SOUNDING SHOWED A LOT OF AVAILABLE CAPE, BUT IT CAN ONLY BE TAPPED IF TEMPERATURES WARM SUFFICIENTLY, ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE DEEPENS, AND/OR A SOURCE OF LIFT CAN HELP GIVE PARCELS THE UMPH THEY NEED. ONCE TEMPERATURES GET AROUND 90, WE SHOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT BUOYANCY TO GET ISOLATED TO SCATTERED CONVECTION. IF GFS AND NAM ARE CORRECT, ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE MAY DEEPEN OVER OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES LATE TODAY, THANKS TO MCS DEBRIS DROPPING IN. THE LATEST RUC AND WRF, HOWEVER, KEEP THINGS ABOUT THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE DAY. HAVE BEEN TRACKING A SOUTHWESTWARD-PROPAGATING OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THE SDF CONVECTION INTO OUR CWA AND LATEST SATELLITE PIC SHOWED IT NEAR BNA. ANOTHER ONE, IS SWINGING SOUTHEASTWARD TOWARD PAH. THIS FEATURE COULD HELP PROVIDE SOME EXTRA LIFT DURING MAX HEATING. EXPECT BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS TO BE IN THE NORTH, WHERE ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE MAY DEEPEN AND WILL BE MOST VULNERABLE TO THE INTRUSION OF OUTLFOW BOUNDARIES FROM CONVECTION TO OUR NORTH. WITH PROBABLY GO WITH A POP RANGE OF 50% IN THE NORTH TO 20% IN THE EXTREME SOUTH. MIGHT NUDGE MAX TEMPERATURES A LITTLE DEEPER INTO THE MIDDLE 90S FOR SOME SOUTHERN AREAS, WHERE POPS ARE LOWEST. OTHERWISE, WILL PROBABLY LEAVE CURRENT ZFP TEMP FORECAST AS IS. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && ROSE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1123 AM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-051630- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-BENTON- HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE- SMITH-JACKSON-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS- WILLIAMSON-MAURY-MARSHALL-RUTHERFORD-CANNON-DEKALB-WHITE- CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE- GILES- 1123 AM CDT TUE AUG 4 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON...A FEW OF WHICH MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL...AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS. THE BEST CHANCE FOR STORMS TODAY WILL BE ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE KENTUCKY BORDER.. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MID STATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...A FEW OF WHICH COULD BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE...AND PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...HAIL...AND BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... DUE TO THE BRIEF AND ISOLATED NATURE OF THE POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. 19
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:36 UTC.
12 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Power pole was downed on State Highway 52 East near Allardt.
A large 50 to 60 foot oak tree crushed two trailer homes on West 12th Street, injuring one women and trapping a couple who had to wait for firefighters to rescue them. The one women sustained an ankle injury and the couple was not injured. It was reported to have just blown down, broke off right at the ground, and hit two trailers, smashing them all the way down to their frames.
Lightning struck a tree that fell on a 66 year old women, who lives about five miles southwest from Crossville on Lantana Road, as thunderstorms moved through this area. She was rushed to a regional trauma center after she was rescued. She was trapped underneath the tree for some period of time, but was conscious during the entire event. Extent of injury and condition were not reported.
Roof was blown off furniture store in downtown Dover.
A tree was reported downed along State Highway 48. A newspaper also reported that a few additional trees were reported down in the Clarksville area. Three thousand CDE Lightband Customers and 300 Cumberland-Electrical Membership Corporation Customers went without electricity for several hours. There were also reports of trees falling on cars.
Trees were reported down countywide, especially in the Camden area.
Trees were downed in New Johnsonville.
Trees were downed in McEwen.
A wind gust was estimated to be around 70 MPH.
A few trees were downed across the county.
A portion of the roof was removed causing significant damage inside the Dale's Superstyles Building in Centerville. This is a three story building, with an apartment on the third level. A piece of flashing ended up on the north side of Centerville Square, which is next to this building. It was also raining at this time, with water raining down into a bedroom, two bathrooms and a hallway, as well as on the ceiling tile. It also damaged the back room and the ceiling of the second floor hair salon. Water damage reached as far as the basement of the building, where a local business operates. Winds were estimated as high as 70 MPH.
Trees were downed along Ugly Creek Road.
Several trees were downed near Lewisburg Pike.
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: 192742, 193073, 193205, 192744, 192745, 192746, 192829, 192830, 192828, 192833, 193204, 192831, 192836.