Severe thunderstorms occurred across three Midlle Tennessee counties during the late afternoon hours on Saturday, May 21st. As a result, thunderstorm wind damage events occurred in these counties.
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.
Severe thunderstorms occurred across three Midlle Tennessee counties during the late afternoon hours on Saturday, May 21st. As a result, thunderstorm wind damage events occurred in these counties.
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 May 21, 2:05 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 305 PM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 .DISCUSSION... DESPITE SCT TO BKN MID/HIGH CLOUDS...TEMPS AND DEW POINTS ARE UP SEVERAL DEGREES ACROSS THE REGION COMPARED TO YESTERDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE HAS MOVED EAST AND AWAY FROM MIDDLE TN. ISOLD STORMS BEGAN TO DEVELOP OVER WESTERN COUNTIES AT 19Z POSSIBLY IN VAREA OF BETTER LOW LEVEL CONVERGENCE IN VCNTY OF OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM EARLIER MORNING RAINS OVER WEST TN. ALTHOUGH COVERAGE SHOULD NOT BE TOO EXTENSIVE... A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BE STRONG LATER THIS AFTERNOON DUE TO MODERATE INSTABILITY. STORMS SHOULD END THIS EVENING WITH LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. NOW THAT THE H5 RIDGE HAS MOVED EAST... SW FLOW ALOFT SHOULD CONTINUE FOR NEXT FEW DAYS. EXPECT SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE POPS FOR THUNDERSTORMS EACH DAY DUE TO A WARMER AND MORE MOIST AIRMASS COUPLED WITH POTENTIAL FOR WEAK SHORT WAVES IN THE SW FLOW ALOFT. ALTHOUGH MOST PRECIP SHOULD BE DIURNAL...THERE IS A CHANCE FOR FIRST PIECE OF ENERGY TO HELP GENERATE A SMALL MCS THAT MAY MOVE INTO WESTERN COUNTIES AS EARLY AS DAYBREAK SUNDAY. OTHER STORMS THAT DEVELOP SUNDAY AFTERNOON MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE AND SPC DOES HAVE ALL OF MIDDLE TN IN SLIGHT RISK AREA FOR DAY2. MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS AS AIRMASS WILL BE QUITE UNSTABLE WITH FAIRLY LIGHT SHEAR. BEST CHANCE FOR ORGANIZED AREA OF SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL BE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. MODELS SHOW AN ORGANIZED TROUGH MOVING FROM MISSOURI INTO THE OHIO VALLEY DURING THAT PERIOD. THE CLOSED SFC LOW SHOULD MOVE SLOWLY THROUGH MIDDLE TN LATE THURSDAY WITH ITS ASSOCIATED WEAK COLD FRONT PASSING THAT NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. CONFIDENCE IS VERY LOW FOR THE END OF THIS FORECAST PERIOD AND BEYOND...E.G. NEXT WEEKEND...AS UPPER AIR PATTERN FROM THE LATEST GFS IS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER MODELS. LAST NIGHT/S 06Z GFS AS WELL AS TODAY/S 12Z ECMWF BOTH SHOW A LARGE TROUGH DEVELOPING OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE U.S. BUT THE 12Z GFS SUDDENLY SHOWS A VERY STRONG H5 RIDGE DURING THE SAME PERIOD. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... NASHVILLE 65 88 67 86 / 20 30 30 20 CLARKSVILLE 63 86 67 84 / 30 40 30 20 CROSSVILLE 60 83 64 82 / 20 30 40 40 COLUMBIA 64 88 67 88 / 20 30 30 20 LAWRENCEBURG 63 88 66 88 / 30 30 30 20 WAVERLY 64 87 67 85 / 30 30 30 20 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 517 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-221030- 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- 517 AM CDT SAT MAY 21 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...ESPECIALLY WEST OF I-65. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG...PRODUCING GUSTY WIND. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON SUNDAY. SEVERE STORMS ARE MOST LIKELY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH DAMAGING WIND THE GREATEST THREAT. .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 07
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 0 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:24 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was downed at the National Weather Service office in Old Hickory.
Wilson County Sheriff’s office reported that several trees were downed along Lakeview Circle, near the end of Saundersville Ferry Rd, near Old Hickory Lake.
Sheriff’s office reported that several trees were downed along Cages Bend Road near Old Hickory Lake.
Near Lebanon, several trees and power lines were downed. A tree was blown onto a house. A roof was blown off a business. Specific information concerning any damage to the house and what type of building that had the roof blown off was unknown.
Sheriff’s office reported that several trees were downed along Cairo Road.
A tree was reported downed 1 mile southeast of Lebanon.
Sheriff’s office reported several trees were downed across western portions of the county.
Sheriff’s office reported several trees were downed across eastern portions of the county.
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, May 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: 308117, 309030, 309031, 309849, 309033, 309855, 309836, 309859.