During the afternoon through early evening hours on Wednesday, March 23rd, as a strong low pressure system moved across the Ohio Valley Region, an associated strong cold front approached and moved across Middle Tennessee. This resulted in a severe weather outbreak across much of the mid state.
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 OHX wrote it up.
During the afternoon through early evening hours on Wednesday, March 23rd, as a strong low pressure system moved across the Ohio Valley Region, an associated strong cold front approached and moved across Middle Tennessee. This resulted in a severe weather outbreak across much of the mid state. Three confirmed tornadoes, one of which was an EF2, multiple funnel cloud and hail reports, along with a couple of thunderstorm wind damage events, occurred across this area.
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 Mar 23, 11:21 AM CST, 1 hour 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1221 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2011 .AVIATION...BNA/CSV...CDFNT APPROACHING MID TN FROM THE NW. LOOK FOR CONVECTION TO SPREAD ACROSS THE MID STATE DURING THE AFTERNOON AS AIR MASS BECOMES INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE. AM EXPECTING TEMPO TS MID TO LATE AFTN WITH LOW VSBY AND CIGS AND GUSTY WINDS. WIND SHIFT EXPECTED THIS EVENING WITH THE FROPA, W/ LOW CLOUDS RETURNING TOMORROW MORNING WITH THE OCCLUDED FNT. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 1126 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011/ UPDATE... PRESENT FORECAST PACKAGE APPEARS TO BE IN VERY GOOD SHAPE SO THE ONLY CHANGE...WHICH WILL BE ISSUED SOON...WILL BE TO STREAMLINE THE MORNING WORDING. A FEW SHOWERS WERE DEVELOPING LATE THIS MORNING OVER NORTH PART OF MIDDLE TN. MEANWHILE...THE COLD FRONT WAS STILL WELL BACK TO OUR WEST... AND EXTENDED FROM THE SFC LOW NEAR INDY SOUTHWESTWARD TO NEAR ST LOUIS...FORT SMITH...AND DALLAS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ANYWHERE IN THE PRE-FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT THIS AFTERNOON... AND ESPECIALLY ALONG AND NEAR THE FRONT. FRONTAL PASSAGE SHOULD OCCUR BY 00Z IN OUR NORTHWEST COUNTIES... AND BEFORE MIDNIGHT IN THE EASTERN COUNTIES. MOST OF MIDDLE TN IS IN SPC SLIGHT RISK AREA THS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE STILL APPEARS TO BE IN OUR NORTHEAST COUNTIES WHERE MAX INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED. INDIVIDUAL STORMS SHOULD MOVE RAPIDLY EAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH BASED ON MORNING BALLOON DATA AND FORECAST WIND PROFILE. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 621 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011/ UPDATE...FOR AVIATION. AVIATION...12Z TAFS. LOW PRESSURE WILL CROSS THE OHIO VALLEY TODAY AND THIS EVENING...SETTING OFF SCATTERED TSRA ACROSS THE REGION. SEVERE WX IS POSSIBLE...MAINLY HAIL AND WIND GUSTS. OTHERWISE...GUSTY SSW WINDS TO 25KT ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TODAY AND THE EVENING. BASED ON UPPER AIR OBSERVATIONS...WILL INCLUDE LLWS REMARK THIS MORNING FOR 40KT 2KFT WINDS. MAINLY VFR TODAY...BUT BRIEF MVFR/IFR POSSIBLE WITH TSRA. A DRY LINE AND COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP SCT TSRA OUT OF THE AREA EARLY EVENING. THE FROPA WILL REACH BNA AROUND 00Z...AND CSV ABOUT 03Z...WITH NW WINDS AND VFR FOLLOWING. 13 PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 319 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011/ DISCUSSION... FORECAST REASONING WILL LEAN TOWARD A CONSENSUS MODEL SOLUTION COMPROMISE FOR THE FORECAST PERIOD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MAIN FORECAST QUANDARIES...POTENTIAL SVR WX IMPACTS ACROSS MID TN THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. AS FOR TODAY...STARTING OFF THIS MORNING WITH GENERALLY HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS WITH RATHER WARM TEMPS...MAINLY IN THE LOW TO MID 60S... CLOSE TO SEASONABLE HIGHS FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. BIG CHANGES IN STORE FOR TODAY...AS A STRONG COLD FRONT IN ASSOCIATION WITH A SFC LOW MOVING ACROSS THE N OHIO VALLEY REGION...MOVES TO THE MS RIVER VALLEY BY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...AND INTO THE MID STATE EARLY THIS EVENING...BEFORE EXITING THE MID STATE AFTER MIDNIGHT. SPC DAY ONE CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK HAS PLACED LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND E OF I-24 AND LOCATIONS N OF A WOODBURY TO SPENCER LINE IN A SLIGHT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FOR TODAY...WITH MAIN CONCERNS BEING DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. BELIEVE MAIN IMPACTS WILL BE DURING THE AFTERNOON THRU EARLY EVENING HOURS...AND WILL GO WITH A CHANCE OF TSTMS W AND S...BUT OVER THE ABOVE MENTIONED SLIGHT RISK AREA...LIKELY TSTMS...WITH SOME ISOLATED SVR TSTMS POSSIBLE. BEST DYNAMICS FOR THIS SYSTEM CONTINUE TO BE NE OF THE MID STATE...NE KY...WV...AND W OHIO...IN THE VICINITY OF THE SFC LOW. HOWEVER...WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE SOME SORT OF A SQUALL LINE MOVING ACROSS THE MID STATE DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS...WITH BEST SVR WX POTENTIAL IN THE NASHVILLE METRO AREA BETWEEN DURING THE MID AFTERNOON HOURS...AND ACROSS THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON HOURS. WILL GO WITH A TRANSITION OF A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHWRS THRU THE MID MORNING HOURS...TO A CHANCE OF TSTMS DURING THE LATE MORNING HOURS... AS INSTABILITY BECOMES BEST ENHANCED ACROSS THE W HALF OF MID TN BY AROUND NOON. EXPECT TEMPS TO RISE INTO THE MID 70S BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS...WITH SKY BECOMING CLDY...BEFORE THE FRONT MOVES THRU THE AREA. AS FOR TONIGHT...BELIEVE THAT SCT SHWRS/TSTMS...LIKELY SHWRS/TSTMS PLATEAU...WILL BE ONGOING THRU THE EVENING HOURS...GENERALLY ACROSS AREAS ALONG AND E OF I-65. MODERATE RAINFALL ACROSS THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU REGION IS ALSO EXPECTED...BEFORE THIS EVENT MOVES E OF THE MID STATE AFTER MIDNIGHT. ALSO EXPECTING AN OVERALL DECREASE IN CLOUDINESS AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES...WITH MOST SIGNIFICANT CLEARING AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS ARE EXPECTED TO BE MAINLY IN THE 40 TO 45 DEGREE RANGE ACROSS THE MID STATE. AS FOR THU...HIGH PRESSURE INFLUENCES SFC AND ALOFT ARE EXPECTED TO BUILD ACROSS THE MID STATE. AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE 20 OR MORE DEGREES BELOW VALUES FOR THIS AFTERNOON... AND EVEN BELOW SEASONABLE NORMS FOR THIS TIME OF THE YEAR. WILL GO WITH A RANGE FROM LOW 50S NEAR THE TN/KY BORDER TO AROUND 60 NEAR THE TN/AL BORDER...WITH AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPS ONLY AROUND 50 ACROSS THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU REGION OF THE MID STATE. AS FOR THU NIGHT...LOOK FOR CONTINUED RIDGING INFLUENCES ACROSS THE MID STATE...DRY CONDITIONS...CLEARING SKIES...AND LOWS IN THE MID 30S...AROUND 30 PLATEAU. AS FOR FRI...SLY SFC WINDS WILL RETURN TO THE MID STATE...AS YET ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPS OUT OF THE S PLAINS... AND USHERS A WARM FRONT CLOSE TO THE TN/AL BORDER BY SAT MORNING. ALSO...UPPER LEVEL RIDGING DISSIPATES...ALLOWING FOR WEAK DISTURBANCES IN THE FLOW ALOFT...WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO THE MID STATE ALSO. THINK THAT THERE WILL BE A POTENTIAL FOR INCREASING CLOUDINESS...AND EVEN A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHWRS...ACROSS NW PORTIONS OF THE MID STATE DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. ANTICIPATE A REBOUND TO SEASONABLY NORMAL HIGH TEMPS...WITH UPPER 50S N TO MID 60S S. AS FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...MODELS CONTINUING TO SHOW SOME DIFFERENCES IN THEIR SOLUTIONS...BUT OVERALL ALSO CONTINUE TO SHOW AN UNSETTLED WX PATTERN THRU THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. AS STATED IN YESTERDAY'S AFTERNOON DISCUSSION...SUNDAY STILL LOOKS LIKE THE THE BEST DAY FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKEND FOR RAINFALL...WHILE THE MODELS ALSO CONTINUE TO AGREE THAT YET ANOTHER WELL DEFINED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF SHWRS AND TSTMS TO THE AREA DURING THE DAY ON MON AND INTO TUE. 31 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && ROSE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 500 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-240000- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-BENTON- HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE- SMITH-JACKSON-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS- WILLIAMSON-MAURY-MARSHALL-RUTHERFORD-CANNON-DE KALB-WHITE- CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE- GILES- 500 AM CDT WED MAR 23 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 24...AND ALONG AND NORTH OF A MURFREESBORO TO SPENCER LINE...THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. MAIN CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS POSSIBLE SEVERE WEATHER EVENT ARE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL WITH A DIAMETER SIZE OF ONE INCH OR GREATER. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS ACROSS THE ENTIRE MID STATE. STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERNS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... REPORTS FROM TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED. SPOTTER THUNDERSTORM REPORTING CRITERIA... TORNADO FUNNEL CLOUD FLOODING HAIL >= 1/2 INCH WINDS > 50 MPH (MEASURED) STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TREES OR POWER LINES DOWN 31
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
152 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0147 PM HAIL 3 N LEBANON 36.25N 86.32W
03/23/2011 E0.50 INCH WILSON TN TRAINED SPOTTER
TRAINED SPOTTER RPT HAIL COVERING THE GROUND
&&
TBOUCHERSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 208 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2011 TNZ011-031>034-232015- FENTRESS-JACKSON-OVERTON-PICKETT-PUTNAM- 208 PM CDT WED MAR 23 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FENTRESS...JACKSON...OVERTON... PICKETT AND PUTNAM COUNTIES... AT 205 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR ALGOOD...OR NEAR COOKEVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. PEOPLE IN JACKSON...OVERTON...PUTNAM...SOUTHERN FENTRESS AND SOUTHERN PICKETT COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE CITY OF ALGOOD...SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER SITUATION CLOSELY. LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER THREATEN. HAIL UP TO PENNY SIZE IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. JOHNSTONE
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:09 UTC.
10 hail, 3 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, 3 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Report of broken car windows. Amount of cars receiving this damage and the particular car windows and specific damage amounts were unknown.
Hail occurred near U.S. Highway 70 North.
Hail was reported to have occurred near West Wilson School on Lebanon Road.
Damage consisted of hundreds of trees being uprooted or snapped along a nearly continuous path. Several homes suffered significant roof damage, along with a couple of barns and outbuildings being destroyed. The tornado clipped the far southwestern tip of Smith County as it moved into DeKalb County. The tornado moved across the north side of the town of Alexandria where tree and roof damage was noted. The last evidence of damage was along Lower Helton Road 2 miles east of Alexandria. Maximum wind speeds associated with this tornado were estimated to be around 100 mph.
Quarter sized hail was reported near Monroe.
A structure received roof damage on Dooley Road. Specific information concerning the type of structure, amount of damage to structure, and associated damage costs, were unknown.
Quarter sized hail was reported by a spotter near Jamestown.
Damage began near the intersection of Indian Mound Road and Old Smithville Highway. Hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped along a nearly continuous 9 mile path. Three homes had complete roof loss and a mobile home was completely destroyed with debris scattered over a large area. Around a dozen barns and outbuildings were destroyed. The last evidence of damage was just southwest of downtown Sparta on Iris Drive. Maximum wind speeds associated with this tornado were estimated to be around 115 mph.
Trees were downed in Christiana.
Damaged occurred on Walnut Grove Road near U.S. Highway 231. Some trees were uprooted and a small portion of shingles were removed from a few homes. A couple of outbuildings were also damaged. Maximum wind speeds associated with this tornado were estimated to be around 80 mph.
A funnel cloud was reported on U.S. Highway 70 South.
A funnel cloud was reported 5 miles east of Sparta.
A funnel cloud was reported in Tullahoma.
Trees were downed in Hillsboro.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Tennessee, 2011Warnings in Tennessee, March 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: 288531, 288528, 288527, 288510, 288533, 290011, 288474, 288477, 288468, 288567, 288471, 290014, 293747, 289189, 290008, 289997, 289989, 289994, 289186.