An intense area of low pressure moving across the region produced strong winds across southeastern portions of Middle Tennessee during the late evening hours on December 25. Wind damage to trees was reported in Cannon County.
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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 OHX wrote it up.
An intense area of low pressure moving across the region produced strong winds across southeastern portions of Middle Tennessee during the late evening hours on December 25. Wind damage to trees was reported in Cannon County.
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 Dec 25, 10:28 PM CST, 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1028 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012 .UPDATE... LLJ BEGINNING TO CRANK UP AND AS THE WARM CORRIDOR WIDESPREAD RAINFALL PUSHES EAST ACROSS THE PLATEAU...AREAS JUST TO THE WEST OF THAT MAY EXPERIENCE SOME DEGREE OF SHORT LIVED SUBSIDENCE. THIS WILL ACT TO HELP WITH SOME DOWNWARD TRANSPORT OF THE HIGHER GRADIENT WINDS ALOFT. THUS...WILL UP THE WIND SPEEDS SOME ACROSS THE PLATEAU AND SOUTHERN MIDDLE TN. OTHERWISE...LATEST 00Z DATA SHOWING THE HEAVY RAINFALL PULLING EAST OF THE AREA BY 06Z. WILL OPT TO REMOVE THE HEAVY RAINFALL WORDING FROM THE ZONES. BUT...CATEGORICAL POPS STILL WARRANTED AS THE UPPER LOW TO OUR SOUTHWEST IS STRENGTHENING WITH STILL PLENTY OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH. AS FOR THE SEVERE POTENTIAL...SPC HAS SHIFTED THE SLIGHT RISK FURTHER EAST. STILL WATCHING SOME CONVECTION OVER NRN AL. WILL ADJUST TONIGHT GRAPHIC AND REMOVE SEVERE WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR. REMAINDER OF THE FCST STILL APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 713 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012/ UPDATE... STRONG STORM SYSTEM TO TRACK NORTHEAST AND IMPACT THE MID STATE...BEGINNING TONIGHT...WITH SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL...WIND ADVISORY CRITERIA AND A WINTER WEATHER THREAT. THE SFC LOW IS CURRENTLY POSITIONED JUST NORTH OF VICKSBURG WHILE THE UPPER LOW IS LOCATED ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHERN AR. FOR THE SEVERE THREAT...50 DEGREE PLUS TEMPS WILL PUSH NORTHWARD AS THE SYSTEM APPROACHES. THE WARMER TEMPS WILL MOVE ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN AND EASTERN AREAS LATER TONIGHT. SFC INSTABILITIES WILL HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME RAMPING UP AS SHOWALTER VALUES STAY ABOVE 2 AND SFC CAPES REMAIN MINIMAL. MID LEVEL CAPES AND 850 MB SHOWALTER VALUES LOOK A LITTLE BETTER...PARTICULARLY BETWEEN THE 03Z AND 09Z TIME FRAME. HEAVIER CONVECTION IS NOTED ACROSS NRN AL AT THIS TIME...ALTHOUGH LITTLE ORGANIZATION IS INDICATED AT THIS POINT. AT ANY RATE...60 KT LLJ WILL INTERACT WITH THE INSTABILITY AND PROVIDE THE SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS. ADDITIONALLY...HELICITY VALUES WILL BE ELEVATED AND AS THIS COUPLES WITH A RATHER LOW LCL...CANNOT RULE OUT THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TORNADIC FORMATION. STILL...THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE WILL BE SOUTH OF A WAYNESBORO TO MURFREESBORO TO CROSSVILLE LINE...MAINLY FROM 10 PM UNTIL 3 AM OVERNIGHT. FOR THE WIND THREAT...SFC LOW TO APPROACH AND REACH MIDDLE TN BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z. PRESSURE GRADIENTS TO REMAIN TIGHT ALTHOUGH A BRIEF RELAXATION IS EXPECTED AROUND 12Z. UPPER LEVEL WIND ENERGY WILL STRENGTHEN WITH TIME AND AS THE LIGHTER PRECIPITATION OCCURS ON WEDNESDAY...DOWNWARD TRANSPORT OF THE TIGHTENING UPPER LEVEL GRADIENT WINDS WILL BE MORE LIKELY. IT IS AT THAT TIME THAT THE HIGHER GUSTS WILL RETURN AFTER THE 12Z RESPITE. FOR THE WINTER WEATHER THREAT...ALREADY SEEING SNOW UNDERNEATH THE UPPER LOW OVER SOUTHERN AR. HOWEVER...SFC LOW IS DISPLACED 100 TO 150 MILES TO THE EAST. THIS IS ENABLING MORE CAA IN THE LOWER LEVELS. THE PROBLEM WITH THE FCST IS THAT EVEN THOUGH THE UPPER LOW WILL REACH NW/W MIDDLE TN BY 12Z...THE SFC LOW BY THAT TIME WILL BE NEARLY VERTICALLY STACKED WITH IT. THIS WILL RESULT IN A STRONGER OVERALL STORM SYSTEM...BUT...MORE LOW LEVEL WARM AIR WILL UNDERCUT THE UPPER LOW. THUS...THE DEGREE OF VERTICALLY CONNECTED COLUMN COOLING IN THE LOWER LEVELS WILL BE COMPROMISED ALONG AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE TRACK. ALONG AND TO THE LEFT OF THE TRACK...THE TRANSITION TO A RAIN/SNOW MIX WILL BE QUICKER. FOR THE FCST UPDATE...BOTH THE EURO AND THE NAM TRACK THE UPPER LOW ABOUT 30 MILES FURTHER SOUTH THAN THE GFS. THUS...I AM GOING TO GO AHEAD AND LOWER TEMPS BY A FEW DEGREES ACROSS THE WEST. FURTHERMORE...I WILL MOVE UP THE TRANSFORMATION OVER TO RAIN/SNOW AN HOUR OR SO QUICKER ACROSS THE WEST. STILL THOUGH...NOT ANTICIPATING ACCUMULATION THROUGH 12Z. BUT...UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEMS CAN BE TRICKY. IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO VIEW THE CONDITIONS UNDERNEATH THE STRENGTHENING UPPER LOW AS THE NIGHT PROGRESSES. THE STACKING OF THE UPPER AND SFC LOW SHOULD BRING MORE WARM AIR INTO THE SYSTEM...AS WAS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY. THUS...NO MAJOR CHANGES FOR NOW. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 559 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012/ UPDATE...FOR 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION. AVIATION...00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION. FLYING CONDITIONS POOR THRU 26/24Z. SFC LOW CENTERED ACROSS W CNTRL MS WILL MOVE NEWD INTO MID TN BY 12Z WED WITH A LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND TSTMS POSSIBLE...BUT TSTM ACTIVITY SHOULD BE CONFINED S OF TAF SITES WITH BEST HEAVY RAINFALL POTENTIAL CSV. MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS CKV/CSV EXPECTED THRU 26/24Z. SFC WINDS COULD BECOME GUSTY FROM 26/04Z-26/12Z AND AGAIN 26/14Z-26/24Z AS GRADIENT TIGHTENS. RAIN/SNOW MIX POSSIBLE 26/16Z-26/24Z DUE TO WRAP AROUND MOISTURE WITH ALL SNOW BY 26/18Z CKV PER BEST CAA SCENARIO. SOME LLWS POSSIBLE...BUT DO NOT KNOW IF THE SHEAR AT THIS TIME WILL BE GREATER THAN 30KT FROM SFC GRADIENT VALUES...AND THUS WILL NOT MENTION. HOWEVER...CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED AS POCKETS OF HIGHER WINDS SUPPORTING LLWS WITH 2KFT OF THE SFC CAN CERTAINLY NOT BE RULED OUT. PREV DISCUSSION.../ISSUED 219 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012/ SHORT TERM (THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... RAIN IS OVERSPREADING THE MIDSTATE FROM THE SOUTH AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO DURING THE EVE. RAIN WL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES WITH SOME THUNDER LIKELY IN THE MIDNIGHT-ERLY MORNING TIME PD. SE CWA STILL OUTLOOKED BY SPC FOR SVR WEATHER. DAMAGING WINDS ALONG A LINE AFTER MIDNIGHT LOOKS TO BE THE GREATEST THREAT. WIND ADVISORY ALREADY IN EFFECT FOR THE NW WHERE GRADIENT WILL BE MOST PRONOUNCED AND THIS WL CONTINUE. TEMPERATURES HV WARMED A WHOPPING 2-4 DEGREES TDY WITH A PERSISTENT NE BREEZE. DEFINITELY LOOKING AT AN ATYPICAL DIURNAL TEMP RANGE WITH MOST AREAS SEEING THEIR HIGHS TODAY AT MIDNIGHT. WL TRY TO CAPTURE THE EXPECTED HOURLY TRENDS AS WELL AS PSBL FOR THIS RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER EVENT. AS FOR P-TYPE WE WILL CONTINUE PREV FCST REASONING AS USING AREAS ALONG AND LEFT OF THE 700MB LOW AS THE REGION WITH BEST SNOW POTENTIAL. NEW EURO IS A LITTLE COLDER THAN THE OTHER MODELS AND GIVEN IT'S BETTER INITIALIZATION HV LEANED CLOSE. THIS SUGGESTS A QUICK CHANGEOVER IN THE NW TO MAINLY SNOW AFTER 12Z GRADUALLY OVERSPREADING MUCH OF THE REST OF THE AREA BY AFTN. EXPECT AN INCH TO LOCALLY 2 IN THE ADVISORY AREA AND EVEN WITH A RELATIVELY WET SNOW WE COULD SEE SOME BLOWING DUE TO THE WIND. THE ADVISORY INCLUDES DAVIDSON AND SUMNER COUNTIES PRIMARILY FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN THEIR NORTHERN SECTIONS. ELSEWHERE EXPECT SOME LOCALIZED LIGHT ACCUMULATION WITH LESSER IMPACTS. LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)... SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE QUICKLY INTO WEST VIRGINIA WEDNESDAY EVENING LEAVING A TRAILING SURFACE AND UPPER TROUGH DOWN ACROSS TENNESSEE WHICH WILL KEEP A CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW/FLURRIES WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN EASTERN PARTS OF THE MID STATE AND ALONG THE PLATEAU. SOME MINOR ACCUMULATIONS COULD STILL OCCUR WEDNESDAY NIGHT IN FENTRESS AND CUMBERLAND COUNTIES BUT SHOULD ONLY AMOUNT TO ONE OR TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH AT BEST. SURFACE HIGH MOVES IN ON THURSDAY KEEPING THINGS DRY INTO FRIDAY BUT ANOTHER SOUTHEAST TEXAS/LOUISIANA LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CRANKS UP RATHER QUICKLY ON FRIDAY PUSHING MORE RAIN THIS WAY BY FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY. THERE COULD BE A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW OVER THE NORTHWEST FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. AS THE SURFACE SYSTEM PULLS AWAY TO THE EAST DURING THE DAY ON SATURDAY LAGGING UPPER TROUGH MAY HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY LEFT OVER TO KICK OFF A FEW FLURRIES AND LIGHT SNOW FROM ABOUT INTERSTATE 65 EASTWARD. HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO WESTERN TENNESSEE ON SUNDAY. DRY WEATHER SUNDAY AND MONDAY. LOW CONFIDENCE MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT AS THERE ARE LARGE MODEL DIFFERENCES IN APPROACHING SYSTEM. TEMPS OVER THE PERIOD NOT TOO FAR OFF CLIMATOLOGY. HYDROLOGY... 1 TO LOCALLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS OVER THE SE CWA. THERE WILL BE NOTICEABLE RISES ON AREA WATERWAYS BUT WE DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING MORE THAN LOCALIZED HIGH WATER. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TO 4 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR TNZ005>009-022>027. WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM CST WEDNESDAY FOR TNZ005>009-022>027- 029. && 21
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 852 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-261100- 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- 852 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CAMDEN TO NASHVILLE TO LAFAYETTE...NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS SUSTAINED AT 20 TO 25 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. ONE TO TWO INCHES OF RAINFALL ACCUMULATION MAY BE POSSIBLE BY LATE TONIGHT ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE MID STATE...WHICH COULD LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT ACROSS LOCATIONS EAST OF INTERSTATE 65 AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40. THE GREATEST THREAT FROM SEVERE STORMS THE DO DEVELOP WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... ON WEDNESDAY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS...FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CAMDEN TO NASHVILLE TO LAFAYETTE... NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS SUSTAINED AT 20 TO 25 MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. ON WEDNESDAY ALSO...FOR LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CAMDEN TO NASHVILLE TO LAFAYETTE...SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO LOCALLY 2 INCHES WILL OCCUR...ESPECIALLY FOR LOCATIONS IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HIGH WINDS...ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT CAUSE DAMAGE...TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ALSO ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. SPOTTER THUNDERSTORM REPORTING CRITERIA... TORNADO FUNNEL CLOUD FLOODING HAIL >= 1/2 INCH WINDS > 50 MPH (MEASURED) STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TREES OR POWER LINES DOWN 31
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1005 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012 TNZ058-060-061-075-077-079-093>095-260600- LEWIS-MAURY-MARSHALL-BEDFORD-COFFEE-GRUNDY-WAYNE-LAWRENCE-GILES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...HOHENWALD...COLUMBIA...LEWISBURG... SHELBYVILLE...TULLAHOMA...MANCHESTER...ALTAMONT...WAYNESBORO... LAWRENCEBURG...PULASKI 1005 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012 ...SOME HIGH WINDS POSSIBLE ACROSS SRN PORTIONS OF THE MID STATE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING HOURS... AS A STRONG LOW PRESSURE CENTER APPROACHES THE MID STATE FROM THE SOUTHWEST...STRONG EAST TO SOUTHEAST WINDS...WITH SOME POSSIBLE ISOLATED SUSTAINED WINDS AS HIGH AS AROUND 35 MPH...WITH GUSTS TO AS MUCH AS 45 MPH...WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS LOCATIONS GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A WAYNESBORO...TO COLUMBIA...TO ALTAMONT LINE THROUGH MIDNIGHT. WITH GROUND CONDITIONS BEING SATURATED FROM RAINFALL THIS EVENING...DAMAGE TO TREES AND POWER LINES MAY OCCUR...ALONG WITH OUTDOOR HOLIDAY DECORATIONS BEING BLOWN DOWN AND/OR AROUND. USE CAUTION WHILE TRAVELING DURING THIS TIME...AS WINDS THIS STRONG WILL MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. 31
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Cannon County Sheriff Office reported trees blown down on Highway 145, Highway 146, and Bullpen Road.
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, 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: 424290.