A line of showers and thunderstorms moved eastward across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon hours. One storm became severe with wind damage and flooding reported.
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.
A line of showers and thunderstorms moved eastward across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon hours. One storm became severe with wind damage and flooding reported.
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 Aug 4, 12:06 PM CST, 1 hour 46 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 106 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012 .MESOSCALE UPDATE... THUNDERSTORMS HAVE REALLY FIRED ACRS WESTERN MIDDLE TN IN AN AXIS OF 2.2-2.4 INCH PWAT AND 4000+ CAPES. SLOW MOTION OF THESE STORMS AND VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE MEANS LOCALLY VERY HEAVY RAINS WILL FALL. STORMS ARE ALSO PRODIGIOUS LIGHTNING MAKERS. A FEW STRONG TO BRIEFLY SEVERE STORMS ALSO EXPECTED. FCST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO RAISE POPS AND INCLUDE +RA AND LIGHTNING WORDING FOR THIS AFTN. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && JOHNSTONE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 534 AM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-051030- 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- 534 AM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A FEW OF THESE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG, WITH GUSTY WINDS, SMALL HAIL, AND HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE MID STATE FROM THE NORTHWEST, INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF THUNDERSTORMS, A FEW OF WHICH MAY BECOME SEVERE. .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 ROSE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1251 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012 TNZ006-007-023>027-056>060-041845- CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-DICKSON-HICKMAN-HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-LEWIS-MAURY- MONTGOMERY-PERRY-ROBERTSON-WILLIAMSON- 1251 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CHEATHAM...DAVIDSON...DICKSON... HICKMAN...HOUSTON...HUMPHREYS...LEWIS...MAURY...MONTGOMERY...PERRY... ROBERTSON AND WILLIAMSON COUNTIES... AT 1244 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A SLOW MOVING CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM NEAR CLARKSVILLE TO NEAR CENTERVILLE. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AROUND 10 MPH. SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. LAT...LON 3664 8685 3545 8705 3551 8771 3665 8754 JOHNSTONE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 103 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012 TNZ008-009-028-029-041900- MACON-SUMNER-TROUSDALE-WILSON- 103 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MACON...SUMNER...TROUSDALE AND WILSON COUNTIES... AT 1258 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTH OF LEBANON...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS NEAR WESTMORELAND. WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH...VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. LAT...LON 3659 8617 3623 8616 3617 8640 3654 8641 13
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
143 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012
TNZ007-008-025>027-057>060-093>095-041930-
CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-DICKSON-GILES-HICKMAN-LAWRENCE-LEWIS-MAURY-
ROBERTSON-SUMNER-WAYNE-WILLIAMSON-
143 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CHEATHAM...DAVIDSON...DICKSON...
GILES...HICKMAN...LAWRENCE...LEWIS...MAURY...ROBERTSON...SUMNER...
WAYNE AND WILLIAMSON COUNTIES...
AT 135 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE JUST EAST OF CLARKSVILLE...SOUTH
TO ASHLAND CITY...KINGSTON SPRINGS...CENTERVILLE...AND WAYNESBORO.
THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF THEE STORMS AS THEY MOVE
TOWARD AREAS ALONG INTERSTATE 65...INCLUDING THE NASHVILLE METRO
AREA.
PEOPLE OUTDOORS SHOULD PREPARE FOR GUSTY WINDS AND PLAN TO TAKE
SHELTER BEFORE THESE STORMS ARRIVE.
LAT...LON 3510 8714 3510 8772 3645 8714 3646 8712
3648 8713 3665 8706 3666 8659 3664 8656
3666 8652 3666 8638SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
236 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012
TNZ008>010-027>030-059>062-075-094-095-042030-
BEDFORD-CLAY-DAVIDSON-GILES-LAWRENCE-MACON-MARSHALL-MAURY-RUTHERFORD-
SMITH-SUMNER-TROUSDALE-WILLIAMSON-WILSON-
236 PM CDT SAT AUG 4 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BEDFORD...CLAY...DAVIDSON...
GILES...LAWRENCE...MACON...MARSHALL...MAURY...RUTHERFORD...SMITH...
SUMNER...TROUSDALE...WILLIAMSON AND WILSON COUNTIES...
AT 231 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM WESTMORELAND...SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE
NASHVILLE METRO AREA...TO COLUMBIA AND LAWRENCEBURG. THE STORMS WERE
MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
WINDS NEAR 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. ALSO...VERY HEAVY
DOWNPOURS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL OCCUR. SOME SPOTS MAY RECEIVE
MORE THAN ONE INCH OF RAINFALL AS THE STORMS PASS...CAUSING PONDING
OF WATER ON ROADS.
LAT...LON 3662 8570 3652 8577 3650 8581 3645 8582
3531 8665 3525 8675 3526 8682 3506 8683
3509 8746 3666 8637
13The Nashville radar (KOHX), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:50 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
One tree was snapped and several tree limbs were blown down along Maple Hill Road north of Carver Lane. Nearby video and radar data showed a rotating wall cloud passed just north of this area.
Shallow water covered roads around the intersection of Highway 231 and Highway 25 east of Castalian Springs with 2 to 3 feet of water in adjacent fields near creeks.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, August 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: 398237, 398238.