A large area of showers and thunderstorms covered most of Middle Tennessee during the early afternoon through the mid evening hours as a strong cold front moved from the Ohio Valley into Middle Tennessee, resulting in two EF1 Tornadoes, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, large hail, trees downed, and some structural damage.
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.
A large area of showers and thunderstorms covered most of Middle Tennessee during the early afternoon through the mid evening hours as a strong cold front moved from the Ohio Valley into Middle Tennessee, resulting in two EF1 Tornadoes, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, large hail, trees downed, and some structural damage.
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 Apr 30, 2:29 PM CST, 9 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 329 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 .DISCUSSION... ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING. THOUGH NOT AS DEVELOPED AS IN PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS...STILL LOOKS LIKE THE LOW LEVEL JET WILL INCREASE TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...AS AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE EJECTS OUT OF THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND MOVES RAPIDLY ACROSS OUR AREA. DO EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...ESPECIALLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. COLD FRONT DROPS OUT OF THE MIDWEST TO NEAR OUR NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES BY 00Z SAT AND THEN PLODS ONLY SLOWLY SOUTHWARD...AS UPPER FLOW IS BASICALLY PARALLEL TO FRONTAL SURFACE. PROBABLY BE LOOKING AT COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF RAIN ACROSS PARTS OF THE MID STATE THIS WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE NORTH...WHERE FRONT WILL BE HANGING RELATIVELY STATIONARY IN THAT VICINITY THROUGH SUN. BELIEVE OUR NORTHWESTERN AREAS MAY SEE UP TO AROUND 3 INCHES OF RAIN BY THE END OF THE DAY SUN. ALSO...SPC HAS ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM WAYNESBORO...TO ASHLAND CITY...TO GUTHRIE OUTLOOKED FOR A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM 12Z FRI TO 12Z SAT...WITH THE MAIN CONCERN BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE BEST CHANCE DURING THAT TIME PERIOD OF EXPERIENCING SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE DURING THE AFTERNOON TO EARLY EVENING HOURS. SPC ALSO HAS AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF A BYRDSTOWN...TO SPARTA...TO TULLAHOMA...TO COLLINWOOD LINE OUTLOOKED FOR A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER...WITH ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS THE MAIN THREAT...FROM 12Z SAT TO 12Z SUN...WITH BEST CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING SEVERE WEATHER DURING THAT TIME PERIOD BEING MORE INTO THE LATE AFTERNOON TO EVENING HOURS. QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT LIFTS BACK TO THE NORTH ON MON AS A WARM FRONT...AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPS IN SOUTHERN MO...WITH A TRAILING COLD FRONT SWD INTO E TX. LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DRAGS A FRONT THROUGH THE MID STATE ON MON...WITH AN ADDITIONAL INCH OR SO OF RAIN FALLING WITH THIS LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THUS...BY THE END OF THE RAIN EVENT NEXT TUE...OUR NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES MAY BE LOOKING AT 4+ INCHES OF RAIN (WHICH IS STILL IN CLOSE AGREEMENT WITH LATEST HPC 1-5 DAY OUTLOOK). THUS...LOCALIZED FLOODING COULD EASILY BECOME A PROBLEM....ESPECIALLY OVER NORTHERN PARTS OF THE MID STATE...LATER THIS WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. THUS...HAVE CONTINUED ISSUANCE OF A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT THROUGH 12Z SAT TO HIGHLIGHT THIS POTENTIAL FLOODING SITUATION. AFTER FRONT PASSES TUE...WEATHER PATTEN SHOULD BECOME SOMEWHAT MORE STABLE...WITH MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... NASHVILLE 63 79 62 77 / 70 30 60 60 CLARKSVILLE 63 78 60 74 / 70 60 60 60 CROSSVILLE 60 74 62 74 / 50 30 60 60 COLUMBIA 63 79 63 81 / 70 30 40 40 LAWRENCEBURG 62 80 63 83 / 70 30 40 40 WAVERLY 63 79 61 77 / 70 30 60 60 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 31/JBW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 636 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-011030- 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- 636 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT STRONG STORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT OVER WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE MID STATE. THE STORMS WILL BE MOVING EAST INTO OUR AREA FROM WEST TENNESSEE...AND WILL MOST LIKELY ARRIVE AFTER 10 PM. AT THIS TIME...WE EXPECT THE STORMS TO PEAK BELOW SEVERE LIMITS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A STATIONARY FRONT WILL DEVELOP JUST NORTH OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT, AND WILL INCREASE THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF THE NASHVILLE METROPOLITAN AREA. ACTIVE WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, WITH MOST OF THE MID STATE UNDER A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL FINALLY PUSH THE FRONT THROUGH MIDDLE TENNESSEE MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT, BRINGING YET ANOTHER ROUND OF ACTIVE WEATHER. GIVEN THE POSSIBILITY OF SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT, PERSISTENT HEAVY RAINFALL MAY PRODUCE FLOODING IN PARTS OF THE MID STATE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. 17
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 813 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 TNZ005-006-022>025-056>058-093-094-010315- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-BENTON-HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-PERRY-HICKMAN- LEWIS-WAYNE-LAWRENCE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DOVER...CLARKSVILLE...CAMDEN...ERIN... WAVERLY...DICKSON...LINDEN...LOBELVILLE...CENTERVILLE... HOHENWALD...WAYNESBORO...LAWRENCEBURG 813 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 ...STORMS CONTINUE TO WEAKEN AS THEY MOVE THROUGH WEST TENNESSEE... THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAVE BEEN MOVING THROUGH WESTERN TENNESSEE THIS EVENING HAVE CONTINUED TO WEAKEN AS THEY MOVED INTO A MORE STABLE AIR MASS. THIS ACTIVITY WILL FIND AN EVEN MORE STABLE AIR MASS IN WESTERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE...BUT WIND GUSTS TO 35 MPH AND PEA SIZE HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH A FEW STORMS AS THEY CROSS THE TENNESSEE RIVER DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. CAMPERS AND BOATERS ALONG THE TENNESSEE RIVER SHOULD PREPARE FOR THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. BOYD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 934 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 TNZ093>095-010300- GILES-LAWRENCE-WAYNE- 934 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS QUICKLY FORM IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND NORTH ALABAMA... AT 928 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE IS MONITORING CLOSELY STORMS IN NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI AND NORTH ALABAMA. THESE STORMS FORMED QUICKLY AND WILL MOVE NORTHEAST AND INTO SOUTHWEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE NEAR THE ALABAMA BORDER BEFORE 10 PM. THE STORMS HAVE FORMED UNDERNEATH A RATHER STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET THAT EXTENDS OVER NORTH ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT THIS TIME. ALSO...A MID LEVEL JET IS LAYING SOUTH TO NORTH ALONG THE TENNESSEE RIVER...PLACING THIS SAME AREA IN ITS RIGHT REAR QUADRANT. ITS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION THAT A STORM OR TWO COULD QUICLY BECOME SEVERE NEAR THE ALABAMA BORDER DURING THE NEXT HOUR...PRODUCING 60 MPH WINDS AND PENNY SIZE HAIL. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND WARNINGS SHOULD THEY BECOME NECESSARY. BOYD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1006 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 TNZ005>008-022>028-056>062-075-093>095-010415- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-BENTON-HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS- DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS-WILLIAMSON- MAURY-MARSHALL-RUTHERFORD-BEDFORD-WAYNE-LAWRENCE-GILES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DOVER...CLARKSVILLE...SPRINGFIELD... GALLATIN...CAMDEN...ERIN...WAVERLY...DICKSON...ASHLAND CITY... KINGSTON SPRINGS...NASHVILLE...LEBANON...MOUNT JULIET...LINDEN... LOBELVILLE...CENTERVILLE...HOHENWALD...FRANKLIN...BRENTWOOD... COLUMBIA...LEWISBURG...MURFREESBORO...SHELBYVILLE...WAYNESBORO... LAWRENCEBURG...PULASKI 1006 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE... AT 955 PM CDT...DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG STORM MOVING NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHERN GILES COUNTY. ANOTHER STORM WAS HEADED NORTHEAST TOWARD WAYNE COUNTY. THESE STORMS ARE BEING MONITORED CLOSELY. THE UPPER LEVEL JET STRUCTURE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS SUPPORTS STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. AT THIS TIME IT DOES APPEAR LIKELY THAT THE STORMS WILL REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS. IN ADDITION...A 50 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST THROUGH WESTERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. THE LEADING EDGE REACHED FROM JUST WEST OF SPRINGFIELD...TO CENTERVILLE...TO JUST EAST OF WAYNESBORO. THIS ACTIVITY IS IN ASSOCIATION WITH AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE THAT WILL MOVE EASTWARD THROUGH MIDDLE TENNESSEE DURING THE LATE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT HOURS. THESE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST STATEMENT. BOYD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1138 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 TNZ005>011-022>034-056-057-059-060-062-010645- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-BENTON- HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE- SMITH-JACKSON-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-WILLIAMSON- MAURY-RUTHERFORD- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...DOVER...CLARKSVILLE...SPRINGFIELD... GALLATIN...LAFAYETTE...CELINA...BYRDSTOWN...CAMDEN...ERIN... WAVERLY...DICKSON...ASHLAND CITY...KINGSTON SPRINGS...NASHVILLE... LEBANON...MOUNT JULIET...HARTSVILLE...CARTHAGE...GAINESBORO... COOKEVILLE...LIVINGSTON...JAMESTOWN...ALLARDT...LINDEN... LOBELVILLE...CENTERVILLE...FRANKLIN...BRENTWOOD...COLUMBIA... MURFREESBORO 1138 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS NORTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTH HALF OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE BETWEEN NOW AND 2 AM. A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME BRIEFLY STRONG...WITH WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH AND PEA SIZE HAIL. BOYD
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1229 AM CDT FRI MAY 01 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1218 AM HAIL 2 S DICKSON 36.05N 87.38W
05/01/2009 E0.75 INCH DICKSON TN TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER REPORTED PENNY SIZE HAIL 2 MILES SOUTH OF
DICKSON.
&&
JLMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1241 AM CDT FRI MAY 01 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1237 AM HAIL KINGSTON SPRINGS 36.10N 87.10W
05/01/2009 E0.88 INCH CHEATHAM TN TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER REPORTED PENNY SIZE HAIL NEAR KINGSTON SPRINGS.
&&
JLMThe Nashville radar (KOHX), 59 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:02 UTC.
4 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Observer at Thompson Station reported that 3.44 inches of rain had fallen from midnight to 1 PM CST, with 2 inches of this total falling between 12 PM CST and 1 PM CST, resulting in urban street flooding in Thompson Station and making some roads impassible.
Trees were reported blown down just northeast of Honertown.
This EF1 Tornado, with maximum estimated wind speed at 100 mph, started 8 miles south-southeast of Hohenwald in Lewis County, or just west of Napier, and moved east into far northwest Lawrence County. It snapped or uprooted many hundreds of large hardwood trees. It also flipped a tractor trailer. The hardest hit area was a large campground in Napier. In addition to the trees, several large camper trailers were damaged or flipped by the tornado. Two people sustained minor injuries and had to be rescued from inside the camper.
Newspaper also reported that three homes received damage but details of damage not given.
Near Napier, trees were reported down, with one tree down on a double wide trailer, along with a tractor trailer blown over.
Along Highway 166 in Northwest Giles County, a barn, power lines, and trees were blown down as well as a church was damaged. Extent of church damage unkown.
This EF1 Tornado, with maximum estimated wind speed at 100 mph, caused damage that resulted in many large trees that were either snapped or uprooted. Several homes sustained minor roof damage and several outbuildings were also destroyed.
Newspaper reported that the Union Valley Baptist Church received significant roof and exterior wall damage as it was blown off of its foundation. Newspaper also reported that several roads were blocked with debris from buildings and trees and also several roads were closed due to localized flooding.
More than 20 homes stood with 3 to 4 feet of water in them, and crews had to use boats to rescue several people in the Centerville area. Several roads were flooded along with damage to several bridges, especially in the southern portion of the county.|Sulpher, Coble, Brushy, and Cane Creek communities experienced damage as a result of flash flooding. Totally, six homes were flooded, while 29 had water that spread underneath, though not into living areas.
Penny size hail was reported in Shubert.
Flooding was occurring along Highway 431 North of Springfield with water covering the road in many areas.
Portions of Trotwood Avenue closed due to several feet of water covering the road. Additional newspaper reports added that several additional area roads were closed because of the rising water and numerous secondary roads were closed. Police and fire fighters helped several residents from their homes as water poured into basements, especially in neighborhoods near creeks. Several cars were washed away near Brookwood Apartments off West 7th and Academy Lane. Safety officials helped several stranded motorists who were trapped in floodwaters. Several homes were damaged near Napier Lake Road off the Natchez Trace due to flash flooding. One resident suffered a broken arm and another was cut on the leg, but no major injuries were reported. Columbia Academy's baseball field was flooded and this resulted in the postponement of numerous games, including the District 11-A Baseball Tournament at the Academy. Flash flooding also caused a runoff that produced a hole underneath the|tennis courts at Columbia Academy.
Roads in the Cane Creek and McCord Hollow area were all but destroyed as flood waters lifted the asphalt from the roadways and piled it up where ever the water receded. Highway Commissioner Ronnie Darnell said the damage, which was widespread across Lewis County, was the worst he had seen since he took office in 1977. Bridges across the county also suffered damage as asphalt and dirt around the bridges was washed away. A outbuilding at a sawmill on Slippery Creek Road left its foundation when the flood waters rose, along with other damage at the sawmill directly attributed to flash flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Tennessee, 2009Warnings in Tennessee, 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: 172429, 172860, 172424, 172863, 172819, 172411, 174425, 172610, 172431, 174445, 174501.