An upper level low pressure system shifted slowly southeast across Eastern Kentucky which resulted in a weak to moderately unstable atmosphere over Eastern Tennessee for the third day in a row. Most of the convection was confined to Northeast and Central East Tennessee.
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.
An upper level low pressure system shifted slowly southeast across Eastern Kentucky which resulted in a weak to moderately unstable atmosphere over Eastern Tennessee for the third day in a row. Most of the convection was confined to Northeast and Central East Tennessee.
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 9, 8:34 AM EST, 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 934 AM EDT WED SEP 9 2009 .DISCUSSION... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A VORT MAX OVER EASTERN KY MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE MAIN FEATURE THAT IS DRVING THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE NORTHERN PART OF OUR AREA THIS MORNING. AS THE VORT MAX CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTHEAST...THE PRECIP COVERAGE SHOULD SHIFT TOWARD THE SOUTH...WHERE INSTABILITY WILL BE GREATER THIS AFTERNOON. WITH 0-6 KM SHEAR VALUES AROUDN 35 KTS AND MLCAPE VALUES AROUND 1000 J/KG IN THE RUC...EXPECT A FEW OF THE THUNDERSTORMS TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. FAIRLY STEEP MIDLEVEL LAPSE RATES SEEN IN THE 12Z RNK AND OHX SOUNDINGS SUGGEST HAIL IS THE MAIN THREAT. THE UPDATE WILL RAISE POPS IN THE NORTH AND EAST TO LIKELY CHANCES...AND A FEW SMALL TEMPERATURES ADJUSTMENTS WILL BE MADE. && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && DGS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 515 AM EDT WED SEP 9 2009 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-100915- 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- 515 AM EDT WED SEP 9 2009 /415 AM CDT WED SEP 9 2009/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN UPPER LEVEL LOW SYSTEM TO THE NORTH WILL DRIFT ACROSS THE REGION. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY...SOME OF WHICH WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN AND CAUSE ISOLATED MINOR FLOODING. A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE LEVELS WITH STRONG WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL LINGER TO THE NORTH ON THURSDAY. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AGAIN ON THURSDAY...A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE WITH STRONG WINDS. SOME OF STORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN AGAIN AND CAUSE ISOLATED MINOR FLOODING. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED DUE TO THE ISOLATED NATURE OF THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 835 AM EDT WED SEP 9 2009 VAZ006-091315- RUSSELL- 835 AM EDT WED SEP 9 2009 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL BE AFFECTING RUSSELL COUNTY... AT 834 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DAVENPORT...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. 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 MJB
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:36 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A few trees were reported down along Asheville Highway ten miles south of Greeneville.
Nickel size hail was reported on Jim Town Road two miles south of Jonesborough.
A few trees and power lines were reported down along Enterprise Road.
Several large trees were downed in the area. One of the trees fell onto a roof of an apartment at 142 Lebanon Road in Kingsport.
Nickel size hail was reported near Collegedale.
Penny size hail was reported near Dandridge.
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: 189699, 189718, 189724, 190489, 189733, 189734.