A strong low level jet accompanied the thunderstorm complex that tracked across east Tennessee during the overnight hours on the 25th. Non-thunderstorm winds produced damage across the higher elevations as wind gusted as high as 90 mph (78 knots).
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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.
A strong low level jet accompanied the thunderstorm complex that tracked across east Tennessee during the overnight hours on the 25th. Non-thunderstorm winds produced damage across the higher elevations as wind gusted as high as 90 mph (78 knots).
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 Feb 24, 9:15 PM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
915 PM EST THU FEB 24 2011
.DISCUSSION...
CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER
NORTHWEST TN...WITH ITS ASSOCIATED WARM FRONT STRETCHING EAST ACROSS
THE TN RIVER VALLEY AND BISECTING THE FORECAST AREA. HIGH WINDS DUE
TO MOUNTAIN WAVES ARE CURRENTLY BEING REPORTED AROUND THE
FOOTHILLS...WITH THE COVE MTN FIRE TOWER REPORTING WIND GUSTS UP TO
71 MPH AND CAMP CREEK GUSTING UP TO 54 MPH. EXPECT THESE HIGH WINDS
TO INCREASE FURTHER THROUGH THE NIGHT...SINCE MODELS INDICATE A VERY
STRONG 850 MB JET (AROUND 70 TO 80 KT) ALONG THE COLD FRONT AS IT
MOVES EAST ACROSS THE TN RIVER VALLEY. A SQUALL LINE OF CONVECTION
WAS OCCURRING ALONG THE COLD FRONT OVER WEST TN...AND EXPECT THIS
CONVECTIVE LINE TO CONTINUE ADVANCING EASTWARD INTO THE FORECAST
AREA LATER TONIGHT AFTER MIDNIGHT. MODELS STILL INDICATE THAT
INSTABILITY WILL BE WEAKENING OVERNIGHT...BUT STILL EXPECT SOME
STORMS TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS DUE TO THE STRONG UPPER-LEVEL WINDS
ALONG THE COLD FRONT.
OVERALL...WILL PLAN TO UPDATE THE FORECAST THIS EVENING TO TWEAK THE
TEMPS AND PRECIP WORDING ACCORDING TO THE LATEST TRENDS.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 56 61 32 63 44 / 100 20 10 10 10
KNOXVILLE AIRPORT, TN 48 58 31 61 40 / 100 40 10 10 10
OAK RIDGE, TN 48 58 29 61 40 / 100 30 10 10 10
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 45 54 26 58 32 / 100 50 10 10 10
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
CHEROKEE...CLAY.
TN...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 10 AM EST FRIDAY 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 3 PM EST /2 PM CST/ FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: ANDERSON...BLEDSOE...BRADLEY...CAMPBELL...
CLAIBORNE...EAST POLK...GRAINGER...HAMBLEN...HAMILTON...
HANCOCK...HAWKINS...JEFFERSON...KNOX...LOUDON...MARION...
MCMINN...MEIGS...MORGAN...RHEA...ROANE...SCOTT TN...
SEQUATCHIE...SULLIVAN...UNION...WEST POLK.
VA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 3 PM EST FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
LEE...RUSSELL...SCOTT...WASHINGTON...WISE.
&&
DMGHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 935 PM EST THU FEB 24 2011 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-251100- 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- 935 PM EST (835 PM CST) THU FEB 24 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL DRAG A COLD FRONT ACROSS THE TENNESSEE RIVER VALLEY TONIGHT...BRINGING WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. A STRONG WIND FIELD IS EXPECTED WITH THIS COLD FRONT...WHICH MAY CAUSE A FEW STORMS TO BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS. IN ADDITION...THE STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BRING WINDY CONDITIONS TO THE MOUNTAINS AN THEIR ADJACENT FOOTHILLS. PLEASE SEE THE WIND WARNING/ADVISORY PRODUCT (MEMNPWMRX) FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ANOTHER STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR SOME STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TONIGHT...AND POSSIBLY AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT OR MONDAY.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A 90 mph (78 kt) wind gust was measured at the Cove Mountain fire tower near Gatlinburg.
Park service personnel reported several trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind in Cades Cove near Townsend.
Park service personnel reported several trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind around the Great Smoky Mountain Park headquarters in Gatlinburg.
Law enforcement personnel reported a few trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind near Flag Pond.
Law enforcement personnel reported several trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind countywide.
Law enforcement personnel reported several trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind countywide.
A wind gust to 63 mph (55 knots) was measured at the NOAA wind tower by a non thunderstorm wind at Camp Creek.
Law enforcement personnel reported a few trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind at Hampton.
A 69 mph (60 kt) wind gust was measured at the English Mountain ETOS site by non-thunderstorm wind east of Sevierville.
Law enforcement personnel reported a few trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind in Jonesborough.
Law enforcement personnel reported a few trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind in Johnson City.
Law enforcement personnel reported several trees downed by non-thunderstorm wind countywide.
The public reported a roof on a metal barn was damaged by a non-thunderstorm wind in Harriman.
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: 284019, 284020, 284021, 284022, 284024, 284025, 285028, 284030, 284031, 284032, 284033, 284034, 284036.