As a frontal system moved northeastward from Middle Tennessee into the Ohio River Valley, the atmosphere became increasingly unstable, and with the influences of daytime heating and passages of upper level disturbances, thunderstorms developed from the early afternoon and lasted well into the evening hours. Several thunderstorms produced damaging thunderstorm winds while two reports of lightning…
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 OHX wrote it up.
As a frontal system moved northeastward from Middle Tennessee into the Ohio River Valley, the atmosphere became increasingly unstable, and with the influences of daytime heating and passages of upper level disturbances, thunderstorms developed from the early afternoon and lasted well into the evening hours. Several thunderstorms produced damaging thunderstorm winds while two reports of lightning damage occurred also.
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 Jul 12, 1:20 PM CST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 220 PM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 .DISCUSSION... CURRENT...CONVECTION INCREASING IN COVERAGE/INTENSITY AS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON. TEMPS IN LOWER 80S TO NEAR 90. MODELS HINTING AT ANOTHER MCS TO DEVLOP TONITE AFFECTING MAINLY SW 1/2 OF CWA. FRONT WILL MOVE DOWN INTO MID STATE TOMORROW AND WILL GO WITH 50% POP EVERYWHERE. THEN LO POPS FOR MON NITE WITH HIEST S AS FRONT CONTINUES TO SAG S. SLITE RISK SEVERE STORMS...MAINLY SW 1/2 TONITE AND MON...WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT. NEXT FRONTAL SYSTEM TO BE IN POSITION FOR CHANCE POPS WED-FRI TIME FRAME. WARM ON TUE AND WED...THEN COOL-OFF WITH NEXT FRONT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... NASHVILLE 70 88 70 93 / 70 50 20 10 CLARKSVILLE 68 87 68 92 / 70 50 20 10 CROSSVILLE 65 82 65 87 / 50 50 20 10 COLUMBIA 71 88 71 93 / 70 50 30 10 LAWRENCEBURG 72 88 72 92 / 70 50 30 10 WAVERLY 70 88 70 92 / 70 50 20 10 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 17/MAG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 502 AM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-131030- 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- 502 AM CDT SUN JUL 12 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO MIDDLE TENNESSEE THIS TODAY, BRINGING WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS TO THE MID STATE. THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BECOME SEVERE. MOST OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE WEST OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU IS UNDER A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY AND TONIGHT AS A RESULT, WITH THE PRIMARY THREATS BEING DAMAGING WIND AND LARGE HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY, WHEN, ONCE AGAIN, THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY THAT SOME STORMS COULD REACH SEVERE LIMITS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AND AGAIN ON MONDAY. ROSE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
About 200 households lost power in northern portions of Clarksville when the Edgeton substation was struck by lightning. Power lines and transformers associated with the substation were damaged also.
A tree fell on a house on Holly Grove Road. Extent of damage to house was unknown.
Lightning struck the chimney caps at Tullahoma High School. This resulted in two capstones, estimated to weigh between 250 and 300 pounds, located on the chimney's top brick layer, to topple to the roof below, crashing through it, and causing structural damage. The hole made by the capstone also allowed rainwater to cause further damage inside the school. Total affected area was less than 30 square feet.
Numerous trees were downed across central portions of the county.
Broadcast Media relayed this report through email to our office from the public. Three hundred yard wide path of tree damage along Saddle Springs Road and the surrounding|area. Several trees were reported downed. Additional details included tree debris covering almost all the surfaces of the back of a resident's home, including the back porch and pool area. Portions of Saddle Springs Road were covered with downed trees also and made the road impassible.
Several trees were reported down in the Pleasant View area. This included trees being down on Triangle Road, Highway 41-A, and in the Harris Farm subdivision.
Trees were reported down across the entire county.
Several trees were downed in Pleasant View along Old Clarksville Pike and Oaklawn Road.
Several trees were downed in Charlotte.
Trees were downed county wide.
Trees and power lines were downed across the northern portion of the county.
Numerous trees were downed. One tree fell on a barn. Several trees blocked area roadways. Power lines were downed.
Several trees downed along Southridge Blvd.
Trees were downed county wide.
Tree downed and on fire along U.S Highway ALT. 41 near the Bedford County Line.
A large tree was uprooted at 94 Hoodoo Road in Beechgrove. A canopy rented by the nearby Tater Box restaurant for a car show also received minor damage.
Trees were downed across State Highway 48 and State Highway 13.
Tree was blown down on house trailer. Extent of any damage to house trailer was unknown.
Trees were downed in Collinwood.
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, July 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: 187400, 186943, 187201, 186950, 187205, 187218, 186944, 186945, 186946, 186947, 186948, 186988, 187099, 186949, 186951, 187202, 186991, 186993, 186994.