A low pressure system developed and intensified in the northern Gulf of Mexico and tracked east-northeast across northern Florida. Although surface air temperatures were in the 40s much of the early morning (nighttime) hours, moderate to heavy snowfall was able to rapidly cool air temperatures to at or just above freezing across southern Tennessee.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 HUN wrote it up.
A low pressure system developed and intensified in the northern Gulf of Mexico and tracked east-northeast across northern Florida. Although surface air temperatures were in the 40s much of the early morning (nighttime) hours, moderate to heavy snowfall was able to rapidly cool air temperatures to at or just above freezing across southern Tennessee. In the higher elevations, temperatures managed to remain near or just below freezing during the entire day. Snowfall accumulations ranged from 1 to 2 inches. Snow remained on the ground through the morning of the 4th on the Cumberland Plateau where temperatures remained near or just below freezing.
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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 1, 11:47 PM CST, 3 hours 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1147 PM CST MON MAR 1 2010
.UPDATE...
UPDATED FOR 06Z AVIATION DISCUSSION.
&&
.AVIATION.../06Z TAFS/
VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE AT BOTH TERMINALS THROUGH ROUGHLY 09Z
WITH VERY LIGHT RAINFALL POSSIBLE DURING THIS TIME SO INCLUDED
VCSH. PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN TO PICK UP AFTER 09Z BEGINNING AS
-RA BUT EVENTUALLY CHANGING TO A -RASN MIX AFTER 13Z. CEILINGS ARE
LIKELY TO DROP TO MVFR WITH IFR POSSIBLE AS WELL. PRECIPITATION
WILL PULL OUT OF NORTH ALABAMA FAIRLY QUICKLY WITH MOST IF NOT ALL
OF IT GONE BY 19Z WITH MVFR CEILINGS CONTINUING THROUGH THE PERIOD.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
PRIMARY ADJUSTMENTS TO FCST INVOLVED RAISING TEMPS A DEGREE OR TWO
FOR MOST LOCATIONS...AND DEWPOINTS LIKEWISE. THE MAIN FOCUS FOR
THIS EVENING INVOLVES DETERMINING COLD AIR/MOISTURE AVAILABILITY
FOR THIS POTENTIAL SNOW SITUATION. THE PROBLEM IS...THAT CURRENT
WET-BULB LOW-LVL TEMPS ARE GENERALLY AROUND THE MID/UPR 30S...AND
UPSTREAM OBS ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF DEGREES COOLER. DYNAMIC COLUMN
COOLING MAY ALLOW WET BULB TEMPS TO FALL A FEW DEGREES...BUT
MAINLY ONLY IN SERN AREAS. THE BEST LARGE SCALE DYNAMIC LIFT WITH
THIS SYSTEM STILL LOOKS TO REMAIN JUST SOUTH...AND FGEN FORCING
LIKEWISE SHOULD REMAIN JUST TO OUR SOUTH. THUS...TEMPS MAY BE TOO
WARM FOR A SIGNIFICANT SNOW EVENT FOR MOST AREAS. THE BEST
CONFIDENCE FOR ANY SNOWFALL STILL IS FOR OUR HIGHER TERRAIN
AREAS...GENERALLY ABOVE ABOUT 1200 FT...ACCORDING TO THE LATEST
SUITE OF SOUNDINGS.
NEVERTHELESS...GIVEN THE OVERALL LOW CONFIDENCE IN SOME FCST
PARAMETERS...WILL RETAIN THE WSW FOR ALL COUNTIES INVOLVED...BUT
HAVE DECREASED SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR THE 12-18Z TIMEFRAME BY ABOUT
0.2-0.3" AT THIS TIME.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION.../ISSUED 334 PM CST MON MAR 1 2010/
BEGINNING TUES...WILL STAY WITH HIGHS WELL BELOW MOS AVGS SINCE
THE PCPN AND CAA WILL SUPPRESS TEMPS...AND GO WITH MOS CONSENSUS
TMRW NIGHT. FORTUNATELY GROUND TEMPS ARE WARM...AND THIS IS A
NARROW WINDOW OF SNOWFALL...SO IMPACTS MAY NOT BE TOO BAD.
STILL COULD SEE SOME SNOW SHOWERS WEDNESDAY AS A SECONDARY TROUGH
SWINGS SWD THROUGH THE AREA. WILL CONTINUE TO UNDERCUT MOS HERE AS
WELL...BUT HAVE BACKED OFF ON POPS SLIGHTLY WITH LESSER MOISTURE
AVAILABILITY.
LONG TERM...
WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...NORTHWEST FLOW REMAINS IN PLACE OVER
THE AREA...AS THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM PUSHES FURTHER EAST OFF THE
ATLANTIC COAST. ANOTHER DISTURBANCE WILL ROTATE AROUND THE LOW OFF
THE ATLANTIC COAST. THIS SHOULD KEEP MOSTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS AROUND
THROUGH THURSDAY...BEFORE CLOUDS SHIFT OFF TO OUR NORTHEAST. THIS
WILL KEEP THE COLDER AIR IN PLACE THROUGH MID WEEK. HIGH
TEMPERATURES WERE LOWERED INTO THE UPPER 30S TO LOWER 40S ON
THURSDAY...DUE TO CLOUD COVER AND COLD AIR ADVECTION. SOME MODELS
CONTINUE TO SQUEEZE OUT SCATTERED FLURRIES WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH
THURSDAY. BASED ON SOUNDINGS...CANNOT RULE THIS OUT. SO LEFT
FLURRIES IN FORECAST DURING THIS TIME. NO SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION IS
EXPECTED THOUGH.
THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY LONG RANGE MODELS DO CONVERGE ON A
STRONG SURFACE HIGH BUILDING INTO THE EASTERN US AND SHIFTING SLOWLY
EAST OF THE AREA LATE IN THE WEEKEND PERIOD. THIS SHOULD KEEP
TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. I THINK A LITTLE
BELOW NORMAL...SO WENT UNDER GUIDANCE A BIT. A WARM UP IS IN STORE
SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY...WHEN ZONAL FLOW TRANSITIONS TO
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW OVER THE WEEKEND. HIGH TEMPERATURES COULD CLIMB
INTO THE LOWER TO MID 60S BY THE WEEKEND AND INTO MONDAY. MODELS
REALLY DIVERGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM FROM FRIDAY
NIGHT THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. DUE TO
DIFFERENCES IN THE PROGRESSION AND PLACEMENT OF THIS SYSTEM. KEPT
FORECAST BASICALLY THE SAME AS PREVIOUS FORECAST SINCE MODELS ARE
DIVERGING SO MUCH.
&&
.HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
AL...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: CULLMAN...JACKSON...MADISON...MORGAN.
WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 4 AM TO 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: DEKALB...MARSHALL.
TN...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 4 AM TO 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: FRANKLIN TN.
&&
AVIATION...KNS
DISCUSSION...KDW
PREV DISCUSSION...BCCHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1103 PM CST MON MAR 1 2010 ALZ001>005-TNZ076-096-021215- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MOORE-LINCOLN- 1103 PM CST MON MAR 1 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA... NORTHWEST ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN MAINLY AFTER 3 AM CST WITH TEMPERATURES LIKELY REMAINING JUST ABOVE FREEZING. ANY SNOW THAT FALLS WILL BE LIGHT...SO LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED BEFORE DAYBREAK. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... BY TUESDAY MORNING...PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE OVER TO LIGHT SNOW WITH ANY ACCUMULATIONS UNDER ONE HALF INCH. PRECIPITATION WILL EXIT THE AREA BY NOON TUESDAY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. ALZ006-007-009-016-TNZ097-021215- MADISON-MORGAN-JACKSON-CULLMAN-FRANKLIN TN- 1103 PM CST MON MAR 1 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL ALABAMA... NORTHEAST ALABAMA AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH TEMPERATURES IN MOST LOCATIONS REMAINING JUST ABOVE FREEZING. LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS ON ELEVATED SURFACES AND GRASSY AREAS BELOW ONE HALF INCH MAY BE POSSIBLE BEFORE DAYBREAK...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF THE TENNESSEE RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... BY TUESDAY MORNING...PRECIPITATION WILL BE IN THE FORM OF MOSTLY LIGHT SNOW...AND SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING AND PERHAPS INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION AROUND ONE INCH IS POSSIBLE...MAINLY AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. HOWEVER...WITH TEMPERATURES JUST ABOVE FREEZING...AND SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE EXPECTED STORM TRACK...THESE AMOUNTS COULD CHANGE. INTERESTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS FOR UPDATES. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. ALZ008-010-021215- MARSHALL-DEKALB- 1103 PM CST MON MAR 1 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST ALABAMA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED TONIGHT AS TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO FALL...BUT REMAIN JUST ABOVE FREEZING. ACCUMULATIONS ON ELEVATED SURFACES AND GRASSY AREAS MAY BE UP TO ONE HALF INCH BEFORE DAYBREAK...MAINLY AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... BY TUESDAY MORNING...PRECIPITATION SHOULD BE IN THE FORM OF ALL LIGHT SNOW...AND SHOULD CONTINUE INTO EARLY AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AROUND TWO TO THREE INCHES ARE POSSIBLE...MAINLY AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. HOWEVER...WITH TEMPERATURES VERY CLOSE TO FREEZING...AND SOME UNCERTAINTY IN THE EXPECTED STORM TRACK...THESE AMOUNTS COULD CHANGE. INTERESTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS FOR UPDATES. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS NOT ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. JE/KDW
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1224 AM CST TUE MAR 2 2010 ALZ001>005-TNZ076-096-021200- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MOORE-LINCOLN- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...FLORENCE...MUSCLE SHOALS...RUSSELLVILLE... MOULTON...ATHENS...LYNCHBURG...FAYETTEVILLE 1224 AM CST TUE MAR 2 2010 ...LIGHT SNOW POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY... A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF COAST TONIGHT. AT THE SAME TIME...MOISTURE WILL INCREASE OVER THE TENNESSEE VALLEY WHILE COOLER AIR BEGINS TO FUNNEL INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTH. AS A RESULT...PRECIPITATION WILL START OUT AS RAIN AROUND MIDNIGHT AND THEN MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO SNOW TOWARDS SUNRISE. LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD BEGIN TO TAPER OFF BY AROUND MIDDAY TUESDAY. TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ON TUESDAY WILL BE AROUND A HALF INCH OR LESS ACROSS NORTHWEST ALABAMA AND LINCOLN AND MOORE COUNTIES IN SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. THESE ACCUMULATIONS ARE MOST LIKELY ON ELEVATED SURFACES AND GRASSY AREAS. WITH TEMPERATURES CLOSE TO FREEZING...AND SOME UNCERTAINTY STILL IN THE STORM TRACK...THE AMOUNTS COULD ULTIMATELY BE MORE OR LESS THAN CURRENTLY EXPECTED. RESIDENTS SHOULD STAY TUNED FOR THE LATEST UPDATES ON THIS DEVELOPING WINTER WEATHER SITUATION. SS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall accumulation of 2.0 inches was reported in Lynchburg.
Snowfall accumulation of 2.0 inches was reported in Fayetteville.
Snowfall accumulations of up to 1.7 inches were reported. The highest amount of 1.7 inches was reported in Winchester.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, March 2010
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: 209591, 209592, 209590.