A strong upper level low pressure system moved across Middle Tennessee on December 7, with an associated area of light rain and light snow beneath the upper low. Light snow was most common across southern and eastern portions of Middle Tennessee where temperatures were colder aloft, and most of these areas received between a dusting and one inch of snow accumulation.
Every event with a place to put it; 19 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 OHX wrote it up.
A strong upper level low pressure system moved across Middle Tennessee on December 7, with an associated area of light rain and light snow beneath the upper low. Light snow was most common across southern and eastern portions of Middle Tennessee where temperatures were colder aloft, and most of these areas received between a dusting and one inch of snow accumulation. Snow amounts were higher across portions of the southern Cumberland Plateau, where some locations received up to three inches of snow.
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 Nashville, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 7, 3:30 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 330 AM CST WED DEC 7 2011 .DISCUSSION...COLD FRONT IS WELL TO THE EAST ALONG A LINE FROM DESTIN FL TO ATLANTA GA TO HICKORY NC. SFC RIDGE BEHIND THE FRONT IS CENTERED OVER THE LOWER PLAINS. ALOFT...THE UPPER RIDGE THAT WAS OVER THE NRN GULF YSTDA HAS BEEN DEPRESSED SWD AND EXTENDS FROM LOWER MEXICO ACROSS THE SERN GULF INTO THE BAHAMAS. THE UPPER TROUGH IS MOVING EWD INTO THE MID MS VALLEY. WELL TO THE NORTH A LARGE UPPER LOW OCCUPIES MOST OF CENTRAL CANADA. COLD AIR CONTINUES TO POUR INTO THE AREA WITH COLD ADVECTION APPARENT ACROSS ALL AREAS. WITH A VIGOROUS UPPER TROUGH APPROACHING FROM THE WEST THE STAGE IS SET FOR A LIGHT SNOW EVENT. MOSTLY IN THE SRN TIER COUNTIES WITH AROUND 1 INCH AND 1-2 INCHES IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. ACCUMS SHOULD MAINLY BE ON GRASSY AREA DUE TO BOUNDARY LAYER TEMPS AT OR JUST ABOVE FREEZING. SNOW MOVES OUT QUICKLY LATE TODAY WITH SKIES CLEARING OVERNIGHT. AT OR BELOW NORMAL TEMPS THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS THE SFC RIDGE MOVES EWD ACROSS THE AREA WITH NO SIGNIFICANT WX. ANOTHER H5 WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES ON FRI NGT AND SAT... BUT APPEARS ONLY TO PROJECT A FEW CLOUDS INTO THE AREA. HOWEVER...IT DOES PUSH MORE COLD AIR INTO THE AREA FOR SAT AND SUN WITH AREA TEMPS CONTINUING BELOW NORMAL. ON MONDAY...ANOTHER UPPER TROUGH DIVES INTO THE NRN PLAINS AND REACHES THE TN/OH VALLEYS ON MON NGT. THAT BRINGS RAIN BACK INTO THE FORECAST FOR TUE AND TUE NGT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... NASHVILLE 39 26 46 28 / 80 0 05 10 CLARKSVILLE 38 24 45 27 / 70 05 05 10 CROSSVILLE 40 24 45 28 / 100 05 05 10 COLUMBIA 38 25 47 27 / 80 0 05 10 LAWRENCEBURG 38 25 47 25 / 90 0 05 10 WAVERLY 37 24 46 27 / 70 05 05 10 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && JLM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 431 AM CST WED DEC 7 2011 TNZ011-032>034-056>058-060-061-063>066-075-077>080-093>095-081130- PICKETT-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS-MAURY- MARSHALL-CANNON-DE KALB-WHITE-CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN- GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE-GILES- 431 AM CST WED DEC 7 2011 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A DISTURBANCE ALOFT WITH COLD AIR WILL MOVE ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE TODAY. EXPECT RAIN TO CHANGE TO SNOW IN THE MORNING... WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AROUND ONE INCH IN THE SOUTH AND UP TO TWO INCHES IN THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV OR BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. TNZ005>010-022>031-059-062-081130- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-BENTON-HOUSTON- HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE-SMITH- JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-RUTHERFORD- 431 AM CST WED DEC 7 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A DISTURBANCE ALOFT WITH COLD AIR WILL MOVE ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE TODAY. EXPECT RAIN TO CHANGE TO SNOW IN THE MORNING... WITH SNOW ACCUMULATIONS UP TO ONE INCH IN NORTHWEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. 04
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
19 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Up to one half inch of snow accumulation occurred across Perry County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to one half inch of snow accumulation occurred across Hickman County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to 0.6 inches of snow accumulation was measured across Lewis County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to one half inch of snow accumulation occurred across Wayne County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to one half inch of snow accumulation occurred across Lawrence County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to one half inch of snow accumulation occurred across Maury County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to one half inch of snow accumulation occurred across Giles County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to one half inch of snow accumulation occurred across Marshall County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to one half inch of snow accumulation was measured across Bedford County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to 1 inch of snow accumulation occurred across Coffee County, resulting in some travel problems and school closures.
Up to 3 inches of snow accumulation was measured across Warren County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
Up to 3 inches of snow accumulation occurred across Grundy County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
Up to 3 inches of snow accumulation occurred across Van Buren County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
Up to 1 inch of snow accumulation occurred across White County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
Up to 1.1 inch of snow accumulation was measured across Putnam County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
Up to 1 inch of snow accumulation occurred across Overton County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
Up to 1 inch of snow accumulation was measured across Cumberland County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
Up to 1 inch of snow accumulation was measured across Fentress County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
Up to 1 inch of snow accumulation occurred across Pickett County, resulting in some travel delays and school closures.
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: 353105, 353106, 353107, 353108, 353109, 353110, 353111, 353112, 353113, 353114, 353115, 353116, 353117, 353118, 353120, 353121, 353119, 353122, 353123.