A deep area of low pressure tracked through the region bringing high non-thunderstorm wind to the area on the 26th. The highest wind were across the mountains where damaging winds were reported.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 MRX wrote it up.
A deep area of low pressure tracked through the region bringing high non-thunderstorm wind to the area on the 26th. The highest wind were across the mountains where damaging winds were reported. Several trees were downed by the high wind.
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 Dec 20, 1:00 AM EST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
100 AM EST THU DEC 20 2012
.AVIATION...AN APPROACHING STRONG COLD FRONT WILL BRING AN END TO
THE TRANQUIL WEATHER PATTERN OF RECENT DAYS. HIGH...THEN MID LEVEL
CLOUDS WILL INCREASE OVERNIGHT BUT CONDITIONS SHOULD REMAIN VFR. BY
SUNRISE...THE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO PICK UP AS A LINE OF CONVECTION
APPROACHES THE TAF SITES. OCCASIONAL SHOWERS WITH A FEW
THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE TAF SITES THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
MAY SEE BRIEF MVFR CONDITIONS AS THE RAIN MOVES THROUGH.
ADDITIONALLY...WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY
WITH BREEZY/GUSTY CONDITIONS EXPECTED IN THE AFTERNOON. PRECIP WILL
EXIT FROM WEST TO EAST AFTER 20Z FOR IMPROVING CIGS AND VSBYS
CONDITIONS. HOWEVER...WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG THROUGH THE REST OF
THE TAF PERIOD.
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...NONE.
TN...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 AM TO 4 PM EST THURSDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...COCKE SMOKY
MOUNTAINS...JOHNSON...MCMINN...NW BLOUNT...NORTH SEVIER...
NORTHWEST CARTER...NORTHWEST COCKE...NORTHWEST GREENE...
NORTHWEST MONROE...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST
CARTER...SOUTHEAST GREENE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...UNICOI...
WASHINGTON TN.
VA...HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 4 AM TO 4 PM EST THURSDAY FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: RUSSELL...WASHINGTON.
&&
MJBHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 435 PM EST WED DEC 19 2012 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-202145- 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- 435 PM EST WED DEC 19 2012 /335 PM CST WED DEC 19 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP IN ADVANCE OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN INCREASING OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS OF EAST TENNESSEE AND RUSSELL AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. A HIGH WIND WARNING GOES INTO EFFECT BEGINNING AT 4 AM EST THURSDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... AS A STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES THE AREA ON THURSDAY...A LINE OF SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. HOWEVER...THE MAIN CONCERN CONTINUES TO BE STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS ACROSS THE AREA. CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR THE FORMATION OF DAMAGING WINDS ALONG THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS OF EAST TENNESSEE AND RUSSELL AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. A HIGH WIND WARNING WILL CONTINUE INTO THE DAY ON THURSDAY. BEHIND A COLD FRONT...STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT AND WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY. IN ADDITION...SNOW SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORMALLY FAVORED UPSLOPE AREAS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...THE NORTHEAST TENNESSEE MOUNTAINS...AND THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS. SOME LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. EARLY NEXT WEEK ANOTHER WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA THAT COULD BRING HEAVY RAINS TO THE REGION NEAR CHRISTMAS DAY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO TELL IF THERE WILL BE MUCH OF A FLOOD THREAT FROM THIS SYSTEM...HOWEVER IT WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED. PEOPLE TRAVELING NEXT WEEK SHOULD MONITOR THIS SYSTEM'S FORECAST IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS AS WELL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED ON THURSDAY FOR DAMAGING WIND REPORTS.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Dispatch personnel reported at least 2 or 3 trees downed by high wind across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, December 2012
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: 421129.