Tennessee, 2011

Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 7 to 8, 2011

January 7 to 8, 2011 · NWS OHX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

As an upper level low pressure system moved across the Great Lakes during the evening hours of Friday, January 7th through midday on Saturday, January 8th, low level moisture along with weak instability aloft, coupled with weak disturbances in northwesterly upper level flow aloft also, resulted in snowfall accumulations across Middle Tennessee. These total snowfall accumulations ranged from…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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 an upper level low pressure system moved across the Great Lakes during the evening hours of Friday, January 7th through midday on Saturday, January 8th, low level moisture along with weak instability aloft, coupled with weak disturbances in northwesterly upper level flow aloft also, resulted in snowfall accumulations across Middle Tennessee. These total snowfall accumulations ranged from between one half of an inch in the Nashville Metropolitan Area to as much as five inches across portions of the northern Cumberland Plateau.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Heavy Snow, Fentress

When
January 7, 4:07 PM CST to January 8, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Fentress forecast zone
Reported by
COOP Observer
Coordinates
36.381, -84.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Five inches of total snowfall accumulation occurred off of U.S. Highway 127 near Pall Mall. Other portions of the county reported total snowfall accumulations of between three and four inches. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county for the remainder|of Friday, January 7th, through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Cumberland

When
January 7, 6:00 PM CST to January 8, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
35.950, -84.998 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One and one half inches of total snowfall accumulation on average was reported across the county by CoCoRaHS observers. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county for the remainder of Friday, January 7th, through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Macon

When
January 7, 8:00 PM CST to January 8, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Macon forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
36.532, -86.007 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One and three tenths of an inch of total snowfall accumulation occurred on average across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Heavy Snow, Putnam

When
January 7, 9:00 PM CST to January 8, 11:00 AM CST
Where
Putnam forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
36.141, -85.495 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An average of four inches of total snowfall accumulation occurred across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Clay

When
January 7, 9:00 PM CST to January 8, 10:00 AM CST
Where
Clay forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.551, -85.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One and one half of an inch of total snowfall accumulation on average occurred across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Davidson

When
January 7, 10:00 PM CST to January 8, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Davidson forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
36.171, -86.777 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Total snowfall accumulation of one half of an inch on average occurred across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Sumner

When
January 7, 11:00 PM CST to January 8, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Sumner forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
36.469, -86.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One and one half of an inch of total snowfall accumulation occurred on average across the county. Most secondary and backroads were snow covered and slippery. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Overton

When
January 8, 12:00 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where
Overton forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.345, -85.288 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two and one half inches of total snowfall accumulation on average occurred across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, Wilson

When
January 8, 12:40 AM CST to 4:40 AM CST
Where
Wilson forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
36.155, -86.298 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One half of an inch of total snowfall accumulation on average, that occurred over the past four hours, was reported across the county. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

Winter Weather, White

When
January 8, 4:04 AM CST to 7:04 AM CST
Where
White forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
35.926, -85.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One inch of snowfall accumulation on average was reported over the past three hours across the county. Roads were reported to be slick in spots across the county also. This total snowfall accumulation resulted in closures or postponement of various civic engagements across the county through the morning hours of Saturday, January 8th, as travel across roads throughout the county became hazardous due to the accumulating snowfall.

What these are

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

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 277509, 277500, 277501, 277502, 277506, 277497, 277499, 277505, 277498, 277504.