Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 11 to 12, 2011

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 11 to 12, 2011
Start: 2011-01-11T07:00
End: 2011-01-12T16:00
Location: Tennessee

January 11 to 12, 2011 · NWS OHX · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS OHX wrote it up.

As a well defined upper level low pressure center within a broad upper level trough moved across the Ohio River Valley Region, weak disturbances in northwesterly flow aloft moved across Middle Tennessee. This, along with a continuance of rather deep low level moisture and surface temperatures remaining below freezing, resulted in a significant snowfall accumulation event across several Middle Tennessee counties starting during the mid morning hours on Tuesday, January 11th, and lasting through the mid afternoon hours on Wednesday, January 12th. Total snowfall accumulation amounts with this event ranged from one half of an inch in Dickson County to four and one half inches across Cumberland County.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jan 10, 3:50 PM CST, 15 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 10, 3:50 PM CST, 15 hours 10 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 10, 12:58 PM CST, 18 hours 2 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 winter weather, 2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Dickson

When: January 11, 7:00 AM CST to January 12, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Dickson forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 36.149, -87.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Near Vanleer, one half of an inch of total snowfall accumulation occurred. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures in Vanleer and the surrounding areas from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across this area during that time period, as travel across roads throughout this area became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Sumner

When: January 11, 8:00 AM CST to 2:00 PM CST
Where: Sumner forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.469, -86.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One half of an inch of of total snowfall accumulation on average occurred across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures across the county and the surrounding areas from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across the county during that time period also, as travel across roads throughout this area became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Dekalb

When: January 11, 8:30 AM CST to January 12, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Dekalb forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 35.980, -85.833 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Total snowfall accumulation of one inch of snowfall on average occurred across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures across the county from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across the county during that time period also, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Smith

When: January 11, 8:30 AM CST to January 12, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Smith forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 36.251, -85.957 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Near Carthage, eight tenths of an inch of total snowfall accumulation occurred. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures in Carthage and the surrounding areas from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across this area during that time period also, as travel across roads throughout this area became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Van Buren

When: January 11, 9:00 AM CST to January 12, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Van Buren forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 35.696, -85.453 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One and three tenths of an inch of total snowfall accumulation occurred near Spencer. Across other portions of the county total snowfall accumulations averaged around one half of an inch. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures across the county from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across the county during that time period also, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Clay

When: January 11, 9:00 AM CST to January 12, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 36.551, -85.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Near Celina, total snowfall accumulation of one and one half inches occurred. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures in Celina and the surrounding areas from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across this area during that time period also, as travel across roads throughout this area became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Putnam

When: January 11, 9:00 AM CST to January 12, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Putnam forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 36.141, -85.495 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three and three tenths of an inch of total snowfall accumulation occurred near Monterey. Other locations across the county averaged between one half and one inch of total snowfall accumulations. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures across the county from Tuesday, January 11th, through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across the county during that time period, as travel across roads throughout this area became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Overton

When: January 11, 9:00 AM CST to January 12, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Overton forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 36.345, -85.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nine tenths of an inch of total snowfall accumulation on average occurred across the county per observations from CoCoRaHS observers across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures across the county from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across the county during that time period, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Grundy

When: January 11, 9:00 AM CST to January 12, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Grundy forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 35.388, -85.723 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One half of an inch of total snowfall accumulation occurred near Monteagle. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures in Monteagle and the surrounding areas from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across this area during that time period also, as travel across roads throughout this area became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Pickett

When: January 11, 9:30 AM CST to January 12, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Pickett forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS
Coordinates: 36.558, -85.075 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Near Byrdstown, total snowfall accumulation of one inch occurred. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures in Byrdstown and the surrounding areas from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across the county during that time period, as travel across roads throughout this area became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Fentress

When: January 11, 10:00 AM CST to January 12, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Fentress forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.381, -84.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Total snowfall accumulation of two inches on average occurred across the county. Dangerous driving conditions were reported across county roads. Any detials on specific accidents associated with these dangerous driving conditions were unknown. This total snowfall accumulation also resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures across the county from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across the county during that time period also, as travel across roads throughout the county remained hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Cumberland

When: January 11, 10:00 AM CST to January 12, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.950, -84.998 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four and one half inches of total snowfall accumulation occurred across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in public and some private primary, secondary, and higher education school closures across the county from Tuesday, January 11th through Wednesday, January 12th, along with closures or postponement of other civic engagements across the county during that time period also, as travel across roads throughout this area became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 2011 Every state in 2011 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, January 2011

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 278698, 278431, 278436, 278715, 278435, 278699, 278701, 278705, 278717, 278706, 278433, 278437.