An upper level trough over the Ohio Valley moved southeast across the Southern Appalachians while driving a cold frontal boundary across the region. Moderate to strong instability and decent wind shear aided the development of severe convection during the afternoon and early evening.
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 MRX wrote it up.
An upper level trough over the Ohio Valley moved southeast across the Southern Appalachians while driving a cold frontal boundary across the region. Moderate to strong instability and decent wind shear aided the development of severe convection during the afternoon and early evening. Most of the severe storms produced large hail. Wind damage was rather limited during the event.
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 Mar 31, 1:59 PM EST, 3 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 259 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT AND SUNDAY)...WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY SAGGING SOUTH INTO THE AREA IS COMBINING WITH A WEAK UPPER IMPULSE TO BRING SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. THESE SHOULD DIMINISH THIS EVENING...AND EXPECT SOME PATCHY FOG LATE TONIGHT. WITH FRONTAL BOUNDARY STILL IN THE AREA SUNDAY MAY SEE SOME AFTERNOON CONVECTION AGAIN...SO WILL CARRY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS SUNDAY AFTERNOON. MAV TEMPS LOOK A BIT TOO LOW TONIGHT AND TOO HIGH SUNDAY...SO WILL BLEND IN SOME OF THE MET TEMPS TO MAKE THE RANGE A BIT SMALLER. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY)...A DIRTY RIDGE WILL SUMMARIZE THE WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK. FLOW OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE WILL PERMIT WEAK DISTURBANCES TO PLAY WITH THE CWA /ESPECIALLY NORTHEAST HALF/ AND FOCUS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY...HOWEVER EVEN WHEN SUCH DISTURBANCES ARE ABSENT...THE WARM AND SORTA HUMID AIR WILL YIELD ISOLATED CONVECTION MOST AFTERNOONS/EVENINGS. ONLY AFTER A CLOSED LOW MOVES THROUGH THE AREA /THAT FOR NOW THE GFS..DGEX..AND ECMWF AMAZINGLY AGREE ON/ DURING LATE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY DO WE POTENTIALLY GET A COUPLE DAYS OF FAIR AND QUIET WEATHER FOR NEXT WEEKEND. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 56 84 59 87 60 / 20 20 10 30 30 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 54 79 59 85 59 / 20 20 40 30 30 OAK RIDGE, TN 53 80 58 85 59 / 20 20 40 30 30 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 46 76 54 80 54 / 10 20 50 30 20 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && LW/GC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 245 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-010830- 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 SAT MAR 31 2012 /145 PM CDT SAT MAR 31 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL RUMBLE ACROSS EAST TENNESSEE... SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. SOME STORMS MAY POSSIBLY BECOME SEVERE...MAINLY OVER EAST TENNESSEE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED FOR POTENTIAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
454 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0430 PM HAIL CHATTANOOGA 35.07N 85.26W
03/31/2012 E0.88 INCH HAMILTON TN TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
JWINTONSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 526 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 TNZ017-018-046-047-312230- JOHNSON TN-NORTHWEST CARTER TN-SOUTHEAST CARTER TN-SULLIVAN TN- 526 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CARTER...JOHNSON AND SULLIVAN COUNTIES UNTIL 630 PM EDT... AT 523 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES WEST OF MOUNTAIN CITY...WHICH WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SMALL HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. IN ADDITION TO SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES PRIMARY KILLERS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. DMG
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 536 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 NCZ060-061-TNZ086-087-312230- CHEROKEE NC-CLAY NC-NORTHWEST MONROE TN-SOUTHEAST MONROE TN- 536 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MONROE...CLAY AND CHEROKEE COUNTIES UNTIL 630 PM EDT... AT 533 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING TWO STRONG THUNDERSTORMS 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MADISONVILLE AND 10 MILES NORTH OF MURPHY...WHICH WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH. SMALL HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. IN ADDITION TO SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES PRIMARY KILLERS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. DMG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
614 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0548 PM HAIL 5 NE TELLICO PLAINS 35.42N 84.24W
03/31/2012 E0.88 INCH MONROE TN TRAINED SPOTTER
PEA UP TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL.
&&
JWINTONSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 620 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 TNZ068-071-086-312315- LOUDON TN-NORTHWEST MONROE TN-NW BLOUNT TN- 620 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR LOUDON...NORTHWEST BLOUNT...AND NORTHWEST MONROE COUNTIES UNTIL 715 PM... AT 615 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR LOUDON...WHICH WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. SMALL HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. IN ADDITION TO SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES PRIMARY KILLERS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. DMG
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 630 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 TNZ017-018-046-VAZ008-312330- JOHNSON TN-NORTHWEST CARTER TN-SULLIVAN TN-WASHINGTON VA- 630 PM EDT SAT MAR 31 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN CARTER...WASHINGTON... JOHNSON AND SULLIVAN COUNTIES UNTIL 730 PM... AT 627 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER EXTREME NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...WHICH WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. SMALL HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN. IN ADDITION TO SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES PRIMARY KILLERS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...MOUNTAIN CITY... SADIE...SHADY VALLEY...DAMASCUS...DOEVILLE...LAUREL BLOOMERY... KONNAROCK...NEVA AND TRADE. DMG
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:27 UTC.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Quarter sized hail fell in the Nantahala National Forest near Persimmon Lake four miles west of Murphy.
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, March 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: 374001.