A severe mesoscale convective system (MCS) that originated in central Kansas on the 17th progressed east and southeast into the Tennessee Valley during the afternoon of the 18th. Several small scale bow echoes produced the strongest wind damage, while a larger scale gust front produced widespread sub-severe winds of 30 to 50 mph.
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 HUN wrote it up.
A severe mesoscale convective system (MCS) that originated in central Kansas on the 17th progressed east and southeast into the Tennessee Valley during the afternoon of the 18th. Several small scale bow echoes produced the strongest wind damage, while a larger scale gust front produced widespread sub-severe winds of 30 to 50 mph. These winds still knocked large tree limbs and small trees down. A swath of wind damage was reported across much of Lincoln County. Another gust front produced numerous reports of damage in Franklin County.
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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 18, 11:32 AM CST, 1 hour 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1232 PM CDT SAT JUN 18 2011 .UPDATE...FOR 18Z TAFS. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE TAF PERIOD. A FEW SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS COULD OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON. HOWEVER...SINCE CONFIDENCE IS LOW...WILL ONLY PUT IN VCTS BETWEEN 18Z AND 23Z. MAY NEED TO UPDATE LATER TO PUT IN A TEMPO OR PREDOMINANT GROUP FOR TSRA FOR A FEW HOURS IF THIS DEVELOPS. IF THIS HAPPENS...MVFR TO IFR CIGS OR VSBYS COULD MATERIALIZE. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1032 AM CDT SAT JUN 18 2011/ UPDATE...INCREASES POPS AND ADDED THUNDERSTORM WATCH ACROSS THE CWA. DISCUSSION...TWO LARGE MCS NOW ALONG THE KY/TN BORDER WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTH THIS AFTN. THE MOST ERN MCS WILL LIKELY MISS OUR CWA BUT THE WRN MCS SHOULD BEGIN TO AFFECT OUR NWRN/TN ZONES ARND NOON. DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT HOWEVER CANT RULE OUT SOME HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS...ALSO HEAVY RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE. THE SVR THREAT SHOULD BEGIN TO DIMINISH ARND 7 PM. && .HUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. TN...NONE. && AVIATION...20 PREV DISCUSSION...07
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL 1016 AM CDT SAT JUN 18 2011 ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-190215- LAUDERDALE-COLBERT-FRANKLIN AL-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-MADISON-MORGAN- MARSHALL-JACKSON-DEKALB-CULLMAN-MOORE-LINCOLN-FRANKLIN TN- 1016 AM CDT SAT JUN 18 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH ALABAMA AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... A CLUSTER OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS... HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THE SEVERE THREAT WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH AROUND 7 PM THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THE THREAT FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE REGION. HOWEVER...AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX VALUES WILL RISE INTO THE 100 TO 105 DEGREE RANGE SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. ANOTHER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... ACTIVATION OF STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE AND NORTHEAST ALABAMA. SS
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:49 UTC.
16 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was knocked down on a home in the 4900 block of Aedc road.
Trees were knocked down onto a home in the capital Hill community.
Thunderstorm winds knocked several large trees down and knocked power out for at least one day near this location.
A roof was blown off of a barn near highway 110 and Ardmore highway.
A tree five feet in diameter was blown down on Simmons Road.
A tree five to six feet in diameter was blown down on Monks road.
Fences and trailers were damaged along Prospect road. An oak tree 3 feet in diameter was also knocked down.
Several trees were knocked down on highway 231.
A tree was knocked down on a home in the 400 block of Bennett Street.
Trees and power lines were blown down in Alto.
A tree was knocked down onto a home on Quarters Crossroad.
Large trees and tree limbs were knocked down on the campus of the University of the South.
Large trees were knocked down on Jump Off road in the St. Andrews community.
Large trees were knocked down on Highway 41 in the St. Andrews community.
Trees and power lines were blown down.
A tree was blown down onto a house. Winds also badly damaged a tin structure near the house as well.
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, June 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: 328481, 328487, 328495, 328499, 328504, 328508, 328525, 328527, 328533, 328520, 328549, 328537, 328553, 328557, 328563, 328566.