High non-thunderstorm winds developed over the higher elevations as a strong area of low pressure tracked across the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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.
High non-thunderstorm winds developed over the higher elevations as a strong area of low pressure tracked across the region.
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 27, 4:03 AM EST, 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
403 AM EST TUE DEC 27 2011
.SHORT TERM...(TODAY AND TONIGHT)...AN IMPRESSIVE SYSTEM WILL MOVE
ACROSS THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS TODAY AND TONIGHT. WATER VAPOR
ALONG WITH PVU ANALYSIS SHOWS A STRONG TROPOPAUSE FOLD HELPING TO
STRENGHTEN SYSTEM THIS MORNING. SYSTEM BECOMES NEGATIVE TILTED WITH
STRONG PRESSURE FALLS AHEAD OF THE SHORT-WAVE TROUGH. THE STRONG
PRESSURE FALLS IS STRENGTHENING THE BOUNDARY LAYER JET. LATEST 06Z
NAM SHOWS 75-80KT 850MB JET OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT
FOOTHILLS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW AIRMASS CONDUCIVE FOR A STRONG
MOUNTAIN WAVE EVENT THIS MORNING. CAMP CREEK WIND TOWER IS ALREADY
REPORTING WIND GUSTS UP TO 80 MPH. HAVE ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING
FOR THE FAR EASTERN TENNESSEE MOUNTAINS...WASHINGTON-RUSSELL
COUNTIES OF VIRGINIA AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS UNTIL 15Z.
AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE...WINDS WILL BECOMING SOUTHWESTERLY WITH
WINDY CONDITIONS ANTICIPATED AREA-WIDE UNTIL LATE THIS
AFTERNOON...THUS HAVE ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY AREA-WIDE.
BESIDES THE WIND...STRONG SYNOPTIC LIFT WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE A
BAND OF SHOWERS PUSHING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA THIS MORNING WITH
WRAP- AROUND SHOWERS (MAINLY NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA AND
MOUNTAINS) FOR THIS AFTERNOON.
FOR TONIGHT...WRAP-AROUND MOISTURE AND NORTHWEST UPSLOPE FLOW WILL
CONTINUE PRECIPITATION MAINLY ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. COLD AIR
ADVECTION WILL COOL VERTICAL TEMPERATURE PROFILE TO ALLOW RAIN TO
CHANGE TO SNOW. LIGHT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES
ANTICIPATED FOR THE FAVORED NORTHWEST FLOW SNOWFALL AREAS...THUS A
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED.
.LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY)...AREA OF LOW PRESSURE
TRACKING OUT OF THE AREA. STILL A FEW FLURRIES POSSIBLE INTO
WEDNESDAY MORNING ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA. BUT
ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL WILL BE LIMITED. HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO AREA
BRINGING DRY WEATHER FOR THURSDAY. A SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH THE
AREA ON FRIDAY...WITH STILL MODELS DIFFERENCES...WILL KEEP FRIDAY
DRY AND ONLY KEEP THE LOW POPS INTO FRIDAY NIGHT OVER SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA. MODELS INDICATING DRY WEATHER FOR SATURDAY. SOME
DIFFERENCES FOR THE TIMING OF THE COLD FRONT IN THE SUNDAY AND
MONDAY TIME FRAME. GFS IS MUCH QUICKER ON BRINGING PRECIPITATION
INTO SUNDAY THAN THE ECMWF. WILL GO THE SLOWER ECMWF AND HOLD OFF
PRECIPITATION CHANCES UNTIL SUNDAY NIGHT. STAYED NEAR MEX/HPC
GUIDANCE FOR TEMPERATURES.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 50 31 45 29 53 / 60 10 0 0 0
KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 46 31 43 26 50 / 100 20 0 0 0
OAK RIDGE, TN 45 30 43 27 50 / 100 20 0 0 0
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 48 29 40 22 48 / 100 40 10 0 0
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: CHEROKEE...CLAY.
TN...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
JOHNSON...NW BLOUNT...NORTH SEVIER...NORTHWEST CARTER...
NORTHWEST COCKE...NORTHWEST GREENE...NORTHWEST MONROE...
SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST CARTER...SOUTHEAST
GREENE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...UNICOI...WASHINGTON TN.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM EST
WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...JOHNSON...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
SOUTHEAST CARTER...SOUTHEAST GREENE...UNICOI.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM EST THIS EVENING
FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...COCKE
SMOKY MOUNTAINS...JOHNSON...NW BLOUNT...NORTH SEVIER...
NORTHWEST CARTER...NORTHWEST COCKE...NORTHWEST GREENE...
NORTHWEST MONROE...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST
CARTER...SOUTHEAST GREENE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...UNICOI...
WASHINGTON TN.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: EAST POLK...WEST POLK.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM EST /10 AM CST/ THIS MORNING TO 6 PM
EST /5 PM CST/ THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
ANDERSON...BLEDSOE...BRADLEY...CAMPBELL...CLAIBORNE...
GRAINGER...HAMBLEN...HAMILTON...HANCOCK...HAWKINS...
JEFFERSON...KNOX...LOUDON...MARION...MCMINN...MEIGS...
MORGAN...RHEA...ROANE...SCOTT TN...SEQUATCHIE...SULLIVAN...
UNION.
VA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: RUSSELL...WASHINGTON.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 4 AM EST
WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: WISE.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM EST THIS EVENING
FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: RUSSELL...WASHINGTON.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM EST THIS EVENING
FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: LEE...SCOTT...WISE.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Park officials reported numerous trees downed along Highway 441 near Gatlinburg by non-thunderstorm gusts to 70 MPH (61 knots). Many roads were closed.
Mesonet measured a non-thunderstorm gusts to 82 MPH (71 knots) at Camp Creek. Numerous trees were downed by the wind in the Camp Creek area.
The Erwin newspaper reported utility crews replaced power poles from trees falling on them from the high wind in the Erwin area.
Law enforcement officials reported 4 trees downed on roads by the high wind across the county.
Law enforcement officials reported several trees downed by the high wind across the Tellico Plains area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, December 2011
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: 356726, 356727, 357755, 358544, 358551.