An area of low pressure tracked through region producing snow over a 3 day period. 5 inches of snow fell across the higher elevations.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 MRX wrote it up.
An area of low pressure tracked through region producing snow over a 3 day period. Generally 1 to 4 inches of snow was reported in the lower elevations, while up to 7.5 inches of snow fell across the higher elevations.
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 Dec 24, 9:00 PM EST, 3 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
900 PM EST FRI DEC 24 2010
.DISCUSSION...WEAK RADAR RETURNS SHOWING UP ON PLATEAU AT THIS
TIME. HOWEVER...APPEARS MOST OF THE EASTERN EDGE OF PRECIP SHIELD
IS NOT REACHING GROUND BASED ON LATEST SURFACE OBS. NOT MANY
CHANGES NOTED IN LATEST MODEL RUNS. WILL UPDATE ZONE FORECAST TO
UPDATE WORDING...BUT DO NOT INTEND TO MAKE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
TO ZONES OR WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 31 38 26 35 24 / 60 70 30 30 10
KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 28 35 25 31 22 / 60 80 60 50 30
OAK RIDGE, TN 28 36 25 31 22 / 70 70 60 50 30
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 26 34 24 29 19 / 70 80 60 60 50
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON EST
SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: CHEROKEE...CLAY.
TN...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT EST /11 PM CST/ TONIGHT TO
NOON EST /11 AM CST/ SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
ANDERSON...BLEDSOE...BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...BRADLEY...
CAMPBELL...CLAIBORNE...COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...EAST POLK...
GRAINGER...HAMBLEN...HAMILTON...HANCOCK...HAWKINS...
JEFFERSON...JOHNSON...KNOX...LOUDON...MARION...MCMINN...
MEIGS...MORGAN...NW BLOUNT...NORTH SEVIER...NORTHWEST
CARTER...NORTHWEST COCKE...NORTHWEST GREENE...NORTHWEST
MONROE...RHEA...ROANE...SCOTT TN...SEQUATCHIE...SEVIER
SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST CARTER...SOUTHEAST GREENE...
SOUTHEAST MONROE...SULLIVAN...UNICOI...UNION...WASHINGTON
TN...WEST POLK.
WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...JOHNSON...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
SOUTHEAST CARTER...SOUTHEAST GREENE...UNICOI.
VA...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO NOON EST
SATURDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: LEE...RUSSELL...SCOTT...
WASHINGTON...WISE.
WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY
AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: LEE...RUSSELL...SCOTT...
WASHINGTON...WISE.
&&
LCMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement personnel reported 6 inches of snow fell in Lebanon.
Law enforcement personnel reported 7 inches of snow fell in Wise.
Law enforcement personnel reported 4 inches of snow fell in near Gate City.
Mesonet reported 7.5 inches of snow fell near Lebanon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, December 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: 272460, 272462, 272475, 272476.