Isolated severe thunderstorms formed late in the day and early evening across Southwest Virginia. The storms produced damaging wind gusts.
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.
Isolated severe thunderstorms formed late in the day and early evening across Southwest Virginia. The storms produced damaging wind gusts.
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 May 16, 2:28 PM EST, 3 hours 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 328 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT AND MONDAY)...SHORT WAVE ENERGY MOVING INTO AREA OVER TOP OF STALLED WEAK FRONT AND AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL KEEP POPS HIGH THROUGH WEE HOURS WITH GRADUAL LOWERING THROUGH MONDAY. INSTABILITY FAIR, AND SO BORDERLINE SEVERE (HAIL, STRAIGHT LINE WINDS) TSTMS WILL OCCUR INTO EARLY EVENING. EXPECT THIS TO MODERATE AFTER SUNSET AND FOR SEMI-UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE TO TAKE ITS PLACE WITH SUSTAINED LIFT. HENCE, PERIODS OF BRIEFLY HEAVY RAIN WILL OCCUR WITH THUNDERSTORMS. DO NOT EXPECT TO ISSUE TO FLASH FLOOD WATCH, BUT WILL HANDLE WITH SHORT TERM FORECASTS, AND FLOOD ADVISORIES/WARNINGS, IF NECESSARY. OVERNIGHT CLOUDS STICK AROUND HOLDING TEMPS UP AND SOME AREAS OF FOG WILL FORM. WILL KEEP AN EYE OUT ON THIS AND RECOMMEND TO EVENING/MIDNIGHT SHIFTS ABOUT FOG ADVISORY, AS NEEDED. .LONG TERM...(MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...WEAK FRONT SLOWLY MOVES EAST INTO THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS AND MID ATLANTIC MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DIGS SOUTHWARD INTO THE TN VALLEY DURING THIS TIME WITH PRECIPITATION DIMINISHING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST DURING THE EVENING. INSTABILITY WILL DECREASE AS WELL. TUESDAY SHOULD BE MOSTLY DRY SOUTHWEST HALF TUESDAY AS LOW PRESSURE SLOWLY SHIFTS EAST. TUESDAY NIGHT WILL BE COOLER WITH SOME CLEARING AND LOWER DEW POINTS BEHIND COLD FRONT. STILL SLIGHT CHANCE SHOWERS NE. WEDNESDAY LOOKS TO BE THE DRIEST DAY WITH SOME SUN BUT MODELS WANT TO BRING MOISTURE EAST FROM THE PLAINS AS A NEW LOW PRESSURE AREA DEVELOPS OVER TEXAS. THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA BY THURSDAY NIGHT INTO THE WEEKEND SO HAVE ADDED AND INCREASED POPS FOR THE AREA. ECMWF MODEL DEVELOPS AN UPPER LOW TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA FOR THE WEEKEND SO KEPT POPS IN THROUGH THE EXTENDED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 63 80 60 77 54 / 70 60 30 10 10 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 64 78 59 74 53 / 70 60 50 20 20 OAK RIDGE, TN 63 78 59 74 52 / 70 60 50 20 10 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 61 74 56 72 50 / 80 80 60 40 20 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && BB/TD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 417 AM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-170900- 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- 417 AM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010 /317 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 2010/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN OVER THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT. OCCASIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED...AND A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL THE PRIMARY THREATS. IN ADDITION...VERY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE...WHICH MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN THE FORECAST INTO THE FIRST PART OF THE WEEK. SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...ALONG WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF VERY HEAVY RAIN CAUSING LOCALIZED FLOODING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED...ESPECIALLY ON SUNDAY.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
419 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0418 PM TSTM WND DMG GREENEVILLE 36.17N 82.82W
05/16/2010 GREENE TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN AND AROUND GREENEVILLE. REPORTED BY
DISPATCH.
&&
GRCSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 441 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010 TNZ017-018-046-047-VAZ006-008-162215- JOHNSON TN-NORTHWEST CARTER TN-RUSSELL VA-SOUTHEAST CARTER TN-SULLIVAN TN-WASHINGTON VA- 441 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR EASTERN CARTER...RUSSELL... WASHINGTON...CITY OF BRISTOL...JOHNSON AND EASTERN SULLIVAN COUNTIES UNTIL 615 PM EDT... AT 436 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF REESE...OR 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MOUNTAIN CITY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. OTHER STRONG STORMS WILL BE AFFECTING THE REMAINDER OF THE ADVISORY AREA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 TO 25 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...BRISTOL TN... MOUNTAIN CITY...BRISTOL VA...ABINGDON...LEBANON...CLEVELAND...SOUTH HOLSTON DAM...SHADY VALLEY...HARR...BENHAMS...COLLINGWOOD...LAUREL BLOOMERY...DAMASCUS...HILANDER PARK...HOLSTON...HANSONVILLE... CASTLEWOOD...KONNAROCK...EMORY-MEADOW VIEW AND LINDELL. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. TG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
446 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0425 PM TSTM WND DMG 7 S CLEVELAND 35.08N 84.87W
05/16/2010 BRADLEY TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
ONE TREE DOWN SEVEN MILES SOUTH OF CLEVELAND ON OLD
ALABAMA RD. REPORTED BY DISPATCH.
&&
GRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
532 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0450 PM TSTM WND GST 6 SW JONESBOROUGH 36.23N 82.55W
05/16/2010 E70.00 MPH WASHINGTON TN TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER/HAM OP ESTIMATED THUNDERSTORM WINDS OF 50 TO 55
MPH WITH GUSTS 65 TO 70 MPH AT TELEFORD/6 SW
JONESBOROUGH.
0455 PM TSTM WND DMG LIMESTONE 36.23N 82.63W
05/16/2010 WASHINGTON TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
SEVERAL TREES DOWN IN AND AROUND LIMESTONE. REPORTED BY
DISPATCH.
&&
GRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
545 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM TSTM WND DMG MADISONVILLE 35.52N 84.36W
05/16/2010 MONROE TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
NUMEROUS TREES DOWN COUNTY WIDE. REPORTED BY DISPATCH.
0535 PM TSTM WND DMG FRIENDSVILLE 35.76N 84.13W
05/16/2010 BLOUNT TN LAW ENFORCEMENT
A FEW TREES DOWN IN AND AROUND FRIENDSVILLE. REPORTED BY
DISPATCH.
&&
GRCPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
615 PM EDT SUN MAY 16 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0547 PM TSTM WND DMG 10 W JOHNSON CITY 36.33N 82.55W
05/16/2010 WASHINGTON TN AMATEUR RADIO
ONE TREE DOWN ON YANKEE CAMP RD.
&&The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 136 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:31 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A few trees were reported down in the vicinity of South Holston Lake.
A few trees were reported down one half mile east of Oak Grove.
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, May 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: 222170, 222171.