An upper level disturbance in association with an upper level low pressure system |over the Ohio River Valley aided development of isolated severe thunderstorms across East Tennessee. Favorabale wind structure and instability across the region allowed for the production of severe gusts in this area of convection.
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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 MRX wrote it up.
An upper level disturbance in association with an upper level low pressure system |over the Ohio River Valley aided development of isolated severe thunderstorms across East Tennessee. Favorabale wind structure and instability across the region allowed for the production of severe gusts in this area of convection.
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 Sep 7, 2:20 PM EST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 320 PM EDT MON SEP 7 2009 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY)...MODELS AGREE OHIO VALLEY UPPER LOW NOT GOING AWAY ANY TIME FAST. IN FACT IT SHIFTS FARTHER SOUTHEAST CLOSER TO THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE PERIOD. SUFFICIENT MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BE IN PLACE IN THIS PATTERN AND WENT NEAR OR A LITTLE ABOVE GUIDANCE POPS WITH COVERAGE WORDING AS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN DIURNAL FASHION WITH GREATER COVERAGE ACROSS NORTHERN PARTS OF THE VIEWING AREA WITH SLIGHTLY LESS COVERAGE FARTHER SOUTH. GUIDANCE TEMPS AND DEWPOINTS HAVE BEEN OFF THE MARK OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS AND HAD TO ADJUST MAX TEMPERATURE DOWN MAINLY ACROSS NORTHERN LOCATIONS WHICH WILL BE CLOSER TO THE ACTION WHILE ADJUSTING MIN TEMPS UP A LITTLE ACROSS THE BOARD. IN THE GRIDS HAD TO RAISE THE DEWPOINTS AS MODELS NOT QUITE GETTING THE HANG OF THE HIGH HUMIDITY PLAGUING THE REGION. .LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)...WEAK SURFACE RIDGING DOWN THE APPALACHIANS WITH LIGHT WINDS THROUGH THE PERIOD. UPPER SHORT WAVE TROF AXIS MOVES EAST OF THE AREA EARLY THU. THIS SHOULD BEGIN A BRIEF DRY PERIOD BEGINNING FRI. THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD LARGE CUTOFF LOW DROPS INTO THE N CENTRAL U.S. THE EXACT LOCATION OF THIS FEATURE EARLY NEXT WEEK REMAINS IN QUESTION. ABUNDANT MOISTURE IS DRAWN NORTHWARD EAST OF THE LOW WITH PWS RISING TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL. ABOVE NORMAL PCPN CHC BEGINS ON SUNDAY AND CONTINUES INTO NEXT WEEK. LITTLE CHANGE IN SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL DAILY TEMPS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 64 87 63 86 62 / 10 20 10 20 20 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 63 83 62 84 61 / 20 20 10 20 20 OAK RIDGE, TN 62 83 63 84 61 / 20 20 10 20 20 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 60 80 58 80 57 / 20 30 20 30 20 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 249 AM EDT MON SEP 7 2009 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-080700- 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- 249 AM EDT MON SEP 7 2009 /149 AM CDT MON SEP 7 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL INCREASE THE HUMIDITY NEAR THE EARTHS SURFACE, BRINGING SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SHOWERS TO THE SOUTHER APPLACHIANS. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 207 PM EDT MON SEP 7 2009 TNZ012-013-035-036-071900- ANDERSON-CAMPBELL-MORGAN-SCOTT- 207 PM EDT MON SEP 7 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE AFFECTING ANDERSON...CAMPBELL... MORGAN AND SCOTT COUNTIES... AT 205 PM EDT/105 PM CDT/...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 8 MILES WEST OF JACKSBORO TO WARTBURG TO 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF FAIRFIELD GLADE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH PER HOUR...MAY OCCUR WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. 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 17
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 442 PM EDT MON SEP 7 2009 TNZ067-082>084-072130- BLEDSOE-MEIGS-RHEA-ROANE- 442 PM EDT MON SEP 7 2009 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE AFFECTING BLEDSOE...MEIGS...RHEA AND ROANE COUNTIES... AT 438 PM EDT/338 PM CDT/...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCKWOOD TO 11 MILES WEST OF SPRING CITY...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. WINDS GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH...AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL...ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. IN ADDITION TO SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES PRIMARY KILLERS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS. 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 THESE THUNDERSTORMS. 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
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 2 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:10 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Convective wind gusts removed the roofs of seven rental storage units in the western section of Morristown.
One tree was reported down on Signal Mountain.
Several trees and large limbs were reported down on West Sims Drive in Redbank.
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, September 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: 190543, 189566, 189570.