A strong storm system moved across Middle Tennessee during the morning through mid afternoon hours on Monday, February 28th. This system produced several severe thunderstorms occurred across the mid state, resulting in thunderstorm wind damage, large hail, and flash flooding events.
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 OHX wrote it up.
A strong storm system moved across Middle Tennessee during the morning through mid afternoon hours on Monday, February 28th. This system produced several severe thunderstorms occurred across the mid state, resulting in thunderstorm wind damage, large hail, and flash flooding events.
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 Feb 24, 11:52 AM CST, 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1152 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011 .UPDATE...FOR AVIATION. && .AVIATION...18Z TAFS. SOME IMPROVEMENT IN CONDITIONS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON FOR BNA...WITH BULK OF RAIN LIFTING NORTHWARD. ALTHOUGH VSBYS AND CIGS WILL IMPROVE...STILL AT LEAST PERIODS OF MVFR WITH SCT SHRA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WITH GUSTY SOUTH WINDS DEVELOPING. CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE THIS EVENING AS A STRONG LOW PRESSURE BRINGS A POTENTIAL FOR NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE SEVERE WX. MAIN WINDOW FOR TSRA AND STRONG WINDS AT BNA FROM 03Z -07Z...ENDING WITH A POSSIBLE QLCS. FRO CSV...NUMEROUS SHOWERS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...WITH SOME IMPROVEMENT LATE DAY. NUMEROUS STORMS AND POSSIBLE SQUALL LINE WILL ARRIVE AT CV AFTER 06Z. 13 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1012 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011/ UPDATE... SAT IMAGERY SHOWING SOME BREAKS IN OVC THIS MORNING...AND LOCAL WRF MODEL SHOWING THE POTENTIAL FOR MID TO UPPER 60S ACROSS MUCH OF MID STATE...AND AT LEAST LOWER 60S PLATEAU...THUS WILL MAINTAIN CURRENT AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECASTS AS OF NOW. WITH LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND WEST OF I-65 NOW IN A MODERATE RISK OF SVR TSTMS...EXPECTED TO START POSSIBLY BY LATE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS...AS STRONG SFC LOW AND ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVE THRU THE MID STATE FROM AROUND 25/05Z-25/12Z...WILL CONTINUE WITH PREVIOUS EVENING WORDING. ALSO INTRODUCED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHWRS FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY E OF I-65 THRU THE MID MORNING HOURS ON FRI...AS SOME MOISTURE POTENTIAL IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN BEHIND SFC FRONTAL PASSAGE. 31 HYDROLOGY... WITH HPC SHOWING THE POTENTIAL OF UP TO FIVE INCHES OF TOTAL RAINFALL JUST N OF THE MID STATE...WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL POTENTIAL BETWEEN 25/00Z-26/06Z...HAVE MADE SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT UPWARD THIS MORNING TO GRIDDED QPF VALUES...HAVING THEM MORE IN LINE WITH HPC FORECASTED GRIDDED AMOUNTS. THESE QPF VALUES ARE ALSO MORE IN LINE WITH THE MOST RECENT HIGH RESOLUTION RAPID REFRESH MODEL UPDATE CYCLE RUNS. THE RED RIVER NEAR PORT ROYAL HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER A FLOOD WARNING THRU SAT NIGHT...AFFECTING MONTGOMERY AND ROBERTSON COUNTIES. WITH ALL THIS IN MIND...WILL GO WITH AN ADDITIONAL THREE INCHES POSSIBLE ACROSS THE LAND BETWEEN THE LAKES REGION...TO AROUND AN ADDITIONAL ONE AND ONE HALF INCHES IN THE NASHVILLE METROPOLITAN AREA...TO AROUND AN ADDITIONAL INCH ACROSS THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU...TO JUST OVER AN INCH ACROSS S PORTIONS OF MID TN...NEAR THE TN/AL BORDER...THRU 25/12Z. PREV DISCUSSION.../ISSUED 844 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011/ UPDATE... UPDATED SUITE OF FORECAST PRODUCTS TO REFLECT A CHANCE OF RAIN TO NEAR 100 PERCENT ACROSS THE ENTIRE MID STATE...MENTION OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE GENERALLY ALONG AND ACROSS THE LOCATIONS UNDER THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH...AND CLOUDY SKIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE MID STATE...FOR TODAY. PREV DISCUSSION.../ISSUED 503 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011/ UPDATE...ADDED AVIATION SECTION. AVIATION...BNA/CSV...WMFNT HAS DEVELOPED ACROSS NRN MID TN THIS MRNG, W/ WARM, MOIST AIR ADVECTING NORTHWARD INTO THE REGION. MOST OF THE OVERNIGHT ACTIVITY IS NOW NORTH OF BNA/CSV, W/ A LULL IN THE WX FOR THE NEXT FEW HRS. EXPECT RA TO PERSIST MOST OF THE DAY AND EVENING, W/ A PRE-FRONTAL SQUALL LINE COMING THROUGH DURING THE LATE MRNG/EARLY AFTN, AND ANOTHER SQUALL LINE W/ THE MAIN CDFNT DURING THE LATE EVENING/EARLY OVERNIGHT PERIOD. OVERALL, EXPECT LOW CLOUDS AND REDUCED VSBY FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE TAF PERIOD, WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS INCRSG DURING THE EVENING W/ THE APPROACH OF THE CDFNT. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 358 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011/ A HEAVY RAIN EVENT AND POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE MID STATE TODAY AND TONIGHT... EVERYONE IS ADVISED TO STAY TUNED TO A RELIABLE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION TODAY AND TONIGHT AND LISTEN FOR ANY WEATHER WARNINGS THAT MIGHT BE ISSUED... SHORT TERM...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS RAPIDLY DEVELOPED ACROSS THE MID STATE OVERNIGHT AND BY 330 AM WERE CONCENTRATED MAINLY OVER NORTHERN PARTS OF OUR AREA. TEMPERATURES WERE MILD, RANGING FROM THE UPPER 40S ALONG THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU TO LOWER 50S NORTH AND MIDDLE TO UPPER 50S SOUTH. SKIES WERE CLOUDY ACROSS THE AREA. HOWEVER, AS A STRONG WAA PATTERN SETS UP TODAY, CIGS ARE EXPECTED TO GO BROKEN OVER SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE MID STATE, ALLOWING MAX TEMPERATURES TO RAPIDLY PUSH INTO THE LOWER 70S NEAR THE ALABAMA BORDER. ELSEWHERE, HIGHS ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE 60S. THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL EXPECTED TO FOCUS MAINLY ACROSS OUR NORTHWESTERN AREAS, MAINLY NORTH AND WEST OF NASHVILLE, AS SURFACE BOUNDARY SETS UP ACROSS SOUTHERN KENTUCKY. HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY LINED UP IN THAT AREA, AND DROPPED RADAR-ESTIMATED RAIN AMOUNTS OF AN INCH OR MORE OVER THE LAST THREE HOURS. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT, AND IT STILL LOOKS LIKE OUR NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES COULD RECEIVE BETWEEN 3 AND 4 INCHES OF RAIN BETWEEN THIS MORNING AND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS POSSIBLY EVEN HIGHER. SUCH RAINFALL WILL LIKELY PRODUCE SOME FLOOD PROBLEMS AND THOSE IN THE WATCH AREA ARE ADVISED TO STAY TUNED TO A RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION IN CASE ANY FLOOD WARNINGS ARE ISSUED. A LOW PRESSURE AREA IS STILL FORECAST TO RIDE UP THE BOUNDARY AND CROSS NEAR, OR OVER, NORTHWESTERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE TONIGHT. THIS WILL LIKELY PUSH A SQUALL LINE ACROSS THE MID STATE, BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAINFALL, AS WELL AS AN INCREASED POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. SPC HAS PLACED EXTREME WESTERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE IN A MODERATE RISK AREA FOR SEVERE STORMS, WITH A SLIGHT RISK OVER THE REMAINDER OF OUR FORECAST AREA. IT LOOKS LIKE A LOW CAPE-HIGH HELICITY ENVIRONMENT, WITH POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED SUPERCELLS, DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS, HAIL, AND EVEN A FEW TORNADOES. THE BOUNDARY OVER SOUTHERN KENTUCKY WILL ACCELERATE SOUTHWARD TONIGHT, AS THE LOW TRACKS OFF TO THE NORTHEAST AND SHOULD BE READY TO PUSH OUT OF THE MID STATE BY SUNRISE FRIDAY. STILL LOOKS LIKE A DAY OR SO OF QUIET WEATHER FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. HOWEVER, ANOTHER POTENT STORM SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO SWEEP IN SUNDAY AND MONDAY, LIKELY BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. LONG TERM...AFTER THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM EXITS OUR AREA MONDAY NIGHT, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECOVER WITH A FEW DAYS OF QUIET WEATHER TOWARD MID-WEEK, AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN ACROSS THE AREA. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR TNZ005>011-022>031- 033-056-057-059. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 718 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-251130- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-BENTON- HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE- SMITH-JACKSON-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS- WILLIAMSON-MAURY-MARSHALL-RUTHERFORD-CANNON-DE KALB-WHITE- CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE- GILES- 718 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN AND NORTHWEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE UNTIL 600 AM FRIDAY. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE MID STATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. MOST AREAS CAN EXPECT A TOTAL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN. AREAS TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF NASHVILLE CAN EXPECT 2 TO 3 INCHES, WITH THE CLARKSVILLE AND DOVER AREAS RECEIVING 3 TO 4 INCHES. THERE IS ALSO A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE, INCLUDING THE NASHVILLE METRO AREA, WITH A SLIGHT RISK ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE MID STATE TODAY AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... A STRONG COLD FRONT IS FORECAST TO SWEEP ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE LATE SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY MORNING, BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... REPORTS FROM TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED. SPOTTER THUNDERSTORM REPORTING CRITERIA... TORNADO FUNNEL CLOUD FLOODING HAIL >= 1/2 INCH WINDS > 50 MPH (MEASURED) STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TREES OR POWER LINES DOWN ROSE
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
833 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0829 AM TSTM WND DMG S WESTMORELAND 36.56N 86.25W
02/24/2011 SUMNER TN EMERGENCY MNGR
HOUSE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AROUND 430 AM. HOUSE LOCATED ON
BUTT ROAD IN NORTH CENTRAL SUMNER CO. REPORTED BY EM MGR.
&&
TBOUCHERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
841 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0829 AM LIGHTNING S WESTMORELAND 36.56N 86.25W
02/24/2011 SUMNER TN EMERGENCY MNGR
HOUSE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AROUND 430 AM. HOUSE LOCATED ON
BUTT ROAD IN NORTH CENTRAL SUMNER CO. REPORTED BY EM MGR.
&&
TBOUCHERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1030 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1023 AM FLOOD CLARKSVILLE 36.56N 87.35W
02/24/2011 MONTGOMERY TN EMERGENCY MNGR
EM MGR REPORTS E2.O INCH OF WATER ON ROAD AT INTERSECTION
OF TYLER AND TRENTON ROAD.
&&
TBOUCHERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
1033 AM CST THU FEB 24 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0829 AM LIGHTNING S WESTMORELAND 36.56N 86.25W
02/24/2011 SUMNER TN EMERGENCY MNGR
HOUSE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AROUND 430 AM. HOUSE LOCATED ON
BUTT ROAD IN NORTH CENTRAL SUMNER CO. REPORTED BY EM MGR.
1023 AM FLOOD CLARKSVILLE 36.56N 87.35W
02/24/2011 MONTGOMERY TN EMERGENCY MNGR
EM MGR REPORTS E2.O INCH OF WATER ON ROAD AT INTERSECTION
OF TYLER AND TRENTON ROAD.
&&
JWRIGHTThe Nashville radar (KOHX), 19 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:51 UTC.
8 flash flood, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotter reported Murfreesboro Road flooded between Kermit Drive and Thompson Lane. Water was deep enough to cause some larger trucks problems while driving through this area.
Benton County Sheriff’s Office reported several locations in central Benton County where trees had been blown down.
Sheriff dispatch relayed a report of downed power lines from a school bus driver.
A funnel cloud was reported near the intersection of Marthas Chapel Road and State Route 48.
U.S. Highway 641 was flooded near Little Birdsong Creek.
Flooding of lower Big Sandy Road occurred between Big Sandy and U.S. Highway 641.
Four to six inches of water depth on the road was reported at the intersection of Jim Taylor Road and Lake Road.
Robertson County Sherrifs office reported U.S. Highway 41 flooded near the town of Adams.
Road was flooded and impassible at the intersection of Charlotte Pike and American Road.
At 3728 Fredonia Road trees and power lines were downed. Debris was located in a fence. No structural damage was observed.
Spotter reported flooding over roads connected to State Highway 48 South. A weather related wreck was also reported. Any extent of injuries to the driver or if there were any passengers, and if they received any injuries, was unknown.
Flooding was reported at the corner of Industrial Drive and Old Jamestown Road. Water was reported to have a depth of up to the hubcaps of a full-size van.
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, February 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: 284789, 284776, 284775, 284818, 284790, 284796, 283222, 284799, 284800, 284815, 284802, 284778, 283223, 284780.