Winter Weather and Cold in Tennessee, January 20 to 21, 2011

Name: Winter Weather and Cold in Tennessee, January 20 to 21, 2011
Start: 2011-01-20T12:00
End: 2011-01-21T15:00
Location: Tennessee

January 20 to 21, 2011 · NWS MEG · 21 events in 20 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 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: 1
Injuries: 2
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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 MEG wrote it up.

The combination of a strong arctic cold front and an upper level disturbance produced light snow across much of the Mid-South during the afternoon hours of January 20th, 2011. The snow began to taper off during the evening hours. Snow totals ranged from one to three inches across West Tennessee. Numerous accidents occurred as a result of the hazardous road conditions. At least two injuries occurred as a result. In addition, the extreme cold conditions that occurred behind the cold front resulted in one death.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 winter weather, 1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Lake

When: January 20, 12:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lake forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.335, -89.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow fell across Lake County.

Winter Weather, Obion

When: January 20, 12:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Obion forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.358, -89.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to three inches of snow fell across Obion County.

Winter Weather, Dyer

When: January 20, 12:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Dyer forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.059, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow fell across Dyer County.

Winter Weather, Lauderdale

When: January 20, 12:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Lauderdale forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.761, -89.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to three inches of snow fell across Lauderdale County.

Winter Weather, Tipton

When: January 20, 12:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Tipton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.497, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to three inches of snow fell across Tipton County.

Winter Weather, Shelby

When: January 20, 12:00 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where: Shelby forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.184, -89.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across Shelby County.

Cold/Wind Chill, Henry

When: January 20, 12:00 PM CST to January 21, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Henry forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 36.332, -88.301 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An elderly man wandered away from his home and died as a result of exposure to the extreme cold conditions.

Winter Weather, Fayette

When: January 20, 2:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Fayette forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.197, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across Fayette County.

Winter Weather, Haywood

When: January 20, 2:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Haywood forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.583, -89.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across Haywood County.

Winter Weather, Crockett

When: January 20, 2:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Crockett forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.814, -89.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow fell across Crockett County.

Winter Weather, Gibson

When: January 20, 2:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Gibson forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.997, -88.933 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to three inches of snow fell across Gibson County.

Winter Weather, Weakley

When: January 20, 2:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where: Weakley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.298, -88.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to three inches of snow fell across Weakley County.

Winter Weather, Henry

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Henry forecast zone
Injuries: 0 direct, 1 indirect
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.332, -88.301 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One inch of snow fell across Henry County.

Winter Weather, Carroll

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Carroll forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.973, -88.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across Carroll County.

Winter Weather, Madison

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.608, -88.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to three inches of snow fell across Madison County.

Winter Weather, Hardeman

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Hardeman forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.207, -88.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An inch of snow fell across Hardeman County.

Winter Weather, Chester

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Chester forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.422, -88.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to three inches of snow fell across Chester County.

Winter Weather, McNairy

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: McNairy forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.175, -88.564 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across McNairy County.

Winter Weather, Henderson

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Henderson forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.654, -88.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across Henderson County.

Winter Weather, Decatur

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Decatur forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.603, -88.109 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to three inches of snow fell across Decatur County.

Winter Weather, Hardin

When: January 20, 3:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Hardin forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 35.199, -88.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An inch or less of snow fell across Hardin County.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Cold/Wind Chill, Henry	2011-01-21	78	Male	Outside/Open Areas	Direct

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Cold/Wind Chill: Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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: 279176, 279177, 279178, 279179, 279180, 279181, 281167, 279182, 279183, 279184, 279185, 279186, 279187, 279188, 279189, 279190, 279191, 279192, 279193, 279194, 279195.