Very moist atmosphere with intense heating led to the development of isolated severe convection in a moderately unstable environment. The stronger convection was limited mainly to Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
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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 MRX wrote it up.
Very moist atmosphere with intense heating led to the development of isolated severe convection in a moderately unstable environment. The stronger convection was limited mainly to Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
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 Morristown, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 22, 1:30 PM EST, 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 230 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 2011 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT)...CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS A STAGNANT PATTERN LINGERING OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE NATION...WITH A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER THE MID WEST AND A LEE TROUGH EXTENDING ALONG THE EASTERN FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS. THE REMNANTS OF A MESOSCALE CONVECTIVELY- INDUCED VORTEX LINGER OVER SOUTHEAST KY...WHICH SHOULD CONTINUE TO TRIGGER SCATTERED CONVECTION TONIGHT...MAINLY OVER SOUTHWEST VA AND NORTHEAST TN. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES CONTINUE TO BE HIGH (~2 INCHES) THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...SO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL APPEARS TO BE A THREAT WITH ANY SLOW-MOVING CONVECTION DURING THE PERIOD. A WEAK COLD FRONT IS PROGGED TO SLOWLY APPROACH THE FORECAST AREA ON SUNDAY...AS THE UPPER-LEVEL FLOW BECOMES NORTHWESTERLY. THIS UPPER- LEVEL FLOW SHOULD RESULT IN MORE INSTABILITY OVER THE FORECAST AREA BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON...RESULTING IN A LITTLE BETTER COVERAGE OF CONVECTION INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. AS FOR TEMPS...WILL GENERALLY TREND TOWARDS A PERSISTENCE FORECAST THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...SINCE THE AIR MASS WILL REMAIN VIRTUALLY UNCHANGED FOR A WHILE. .LONG TERM (MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)...WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL SETTLE INTO THE REGION ON MONDAY...PROVIDING OUR BEST CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE EXTENDED. ISOLATED CONVECTION MAY LINGER INTO TUESDAY WITH THE BOUNDARY SAGGING SOUTH OF THE MRX AREA. AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS BACK IN FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD FOR GENERALLY DRY AND CONTINUED HOT CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 74 94 74 93 74 / 20 30 30 40 40 KNOXVILLE AIRPORT, TN 74 93 74 92 74 / 20 30 30 40 40 OAK RIDGE, TN 73 93 73 92 73 / 20 30 30 40 40 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 71 91 71 90 71 / 30 30 30 40 40 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && DMG/MJB
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 330 AM EDT FRI JUL 22 2011 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-230730- CHEROKEE-CLAY-SCOTT TN-CAMPBELL-CLAIBORNE-HANCOCK-HAWKINS- SULLIVAN-JOHNSON-MORGAN-ANDERSON-UNION-GRAINGER-HAMBLEN- NORTHWEST COCKE-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTHWEST GREENE- SOUTHEAST GREENE-WASHINGTON TN-UNICOI-NORTHWEST CARTER- SOUTHEAST CARTER-ROANE-LOUDON-KNOX-JEFFERSON-NW BLOUNT- BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS- SEQUATCHIE-BLEDSOE-RHEA-MEIGS-MCMINN-NORTHWEST MONROE- SOUTHEAST MONROE-MARION-HAMILTON-BRADLEY-WEST POLK-EAST POLK-LEE- WISE-SCOTT-RUSSELL-WASHINGTON- 330 AM EDT FRI JUL 22 2011 /230 AM CDT FRI JUL 22 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SLOW-MOVING STORMS MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...LEADING TO SOME MINOR FLOODING. BESIDES THE STORMS...HOT AND MUGGY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL WITH AFTERNOON HEAT INDEX VALUES BETWEEN 100 AND 105 DEGREES ACROSS THE TENNESSEE VALLEY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB INTO THE 90S IN MANY VALLEY LOCATIONS FRIDAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THESE TEMPERATURES WILL COMBINE WITH HIGH HUMIDITY VALUES TO PRODUCE HEAT INDEX VALUES BETWEEN 100 AND 105 DEGREES FOR A FEW HOURS EACH AFTERNOON. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION EACH DAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH A WEAK COLD FRONT APPROACHING THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK...LEADING TO A BETTER COVERAGE OF THUNDERSTORMS. A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS COULD OCCUR EACH DAY THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK...WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING DAMAGING WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED DUE TO THE ISOLATED NATURE OF THE EXPECTED SEVERE THREAT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 246 PM EDT FRI JUL 22 2011 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-230900- CHEROKEE-CLAY-SCOTT TN-CAMPBELL-CLAIBORNE-HANCOCK-HAWKINS-SULLIVAN- JOHNSON-MORGAN-ANDERSON-UNION-GRAINGER-HAMBLEN-NORTHWEST COCKE- COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTHWEST GREENE-SOUTHEAST GREENE- WASHINGTON TN-UNICOI-NORTHWEST CARTER-SOUTHEAST CARTER-ROANE- LOUDON-KNOX-JEFFERSON-NW BLOUNT-BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-NORTH SEVIER- SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS-SEQUATCHIE-BLEDSOE-RHEA-MEIGS-MCMINN- NORTHWEST MONROE-SOUTHEAST MONROE-MARION-HAMILTON-BRADLEY-WEST POLK- EAST POLK-LEE-WISE-SCOTT-RUSSELL-WASHINGTON- 245 PM EDT (145 PM CDT) FRI JUL 22 2011 ...VERY HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS THROUGH THE WEEKEND... A STAGNANT PATTERN WILL LINGER OVER THE TENNESSEE RIVER VALLEY THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH TEMPERATURES CLIMBING INTO THE 90S EACH AFTERNOON IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. THESE TEMPERATURES WILL COMBINE WITH HIGH HUMIDITY VALUES TO PRODUCE HEAT INDICES BETWEEN 100 AND 105 DEGREES FOR A FEW HOURS DURING THE AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...LOW TEMPERATURES AT NIGHT WILL ONLY FALL INTO THE LOWER AND MID 70S OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AREAS OF THE GREAT TENNESSEE VALLEY. THUS...THERE WILL NOT BE MUCH RELIEF FROM THE HEAT. TO PREVENT HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES...AVOID PROLONGED WORK IN THE SUN OR IN POORLY VENTILATED AREAS...DRINK PLENTY OF WATER...AND SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE IN AN AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT. AVOID WORKING OR EXERCISING OUTDOORS DURING THE PEAK HEATING TIMES OF THE DAY. EACH YEAR...A NUMBER OF FATALITIES OCCUR NATIONWIDE DUE TO CHILDREN ACCIDENTALLY BEING LEFT IN VEHICLES DURING HOT OR EVEN WARM WEATHER. NEVER LEAVE CHILDREN OR PETS UNATTENDED IN A VEHICLE...NOT EVEN FOR A MINUTE. REMEMBER...BEAT THE HEAT...CHECK THE BACKSEAT. DMG
The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 136 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:13 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were reported down approximately three miles south of Glade Springs.
Several trees were reported down.
A few trees were reported down at Honaker.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 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: 326444, 326445, 326447.