A deep area of low pressure tracked through the region producing high non-thunderstorm wind over the area. The highest wind was reported over the mountains and the foothills.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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 producing high non-thunderstorm wind over the area. The highest wind was reported over the mountains and the foothills. Wind gusts as high as 73 mph were reported. Numerous trees and powerlines were downed by the high wind. One pavilion under construction was also damaged by the 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 26, 12:32 AM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1232 AM EST WED DEC 26 2012
.AVIATION...
A BROAD AREA OF -RA/RA AND ISOLATED -TSRA WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS
EAST TENNESSEE OVERNIGHT...BEFORE GRADUALLY DISSIPATING DURING THE
DAY TMRW /THOUGH SOME -RA MAY LINGER AT KTRI THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST AFTER SUNRISE AND BECOME STRONG AND
GUSTY AT TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS.
ALSO...GIVEN THE COLDER AIR THAT WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA BY THE
EVENING...SOME -SN WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AT KTRI AFTER 00Z.
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: CHEROKEE...CLAY.
TN...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...EAST POLK...
MCMINN...NW BLOUNT...NORTH SEVIER...NORTHWEST MONROE...
SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST MONROE...WEST POLK.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: CAMPBELL...CLAIBORNE...MORGAN...SCOTT TN.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...JOHNSON...
NORTHWEST CARTER...NORTHWEST COCKE...NORTHWEST GREENE...
SOUTHEAST CARTER...SOUTHEAST GREENE...UNICOI...WASHINGTON
TN.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 1 PM EST /NOON CST/ THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: BLEDSOE...HAMILTON...MARION...RHEA...
SEQUATCHIE.
VA...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE FOLLOWING
ZONES: LEE...SCOTT...WISE.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 4 PM EST THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: RUSSELL...WASHINGTON.
&&
AMPHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 236 PM EST TUE DEC 25 2012 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-261945- 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- 236 PM EST TUE DEC 25 2012 /136 PM CST TUE DEC 25 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT ACROSS SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA... HIGH WIND WARNING FOR TONIGHT FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS. DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE FROM THESE STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS...PLUS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SEVERE STORMS FOR SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE...AS WELL AS CHEROKEE AND CLAY COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE HAZARDS...PLEASE SEE OUR LATEST ADVISORY PRODUCTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY MORNING ACROSS SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA... HIGH WINDS WILL LINGER INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...AS A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS TRACKS NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION. STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS BETWEEN 25 AND 40 MPH WITH GUSTS OVER 70 MPH ARE POSSIBLE. WINDY CONDITIONS MAY CONTINUE AREA WIDE ALONG AND BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY EVENING. ALSO...THIS SYSTEM WILL LIFT A WARM FRONT INTO SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA EARLY WEDNESDAY...THEN AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP EAST THROUGH THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. ENOUGH INSTABILITY WILL BE AVAILABLE TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 40 INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD BE SEVERE PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS. ALSO...ISOLATED TORNADOES COULD OCCUR NEAR AND ALONG THE WARM FRONT. AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH WEDNESDAY...COLD AIR WILL RUSH IN BEHIND IT CHANGING THE RAIN TO SNOW LATE WEDNESDAY WITH SOME SNOW SHOWERS LINGERING WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. LIGHT SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE..ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND FAR EAST TENNESSEE MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Dispatch personnel reported several trees downed by high wind across the county.
Dispatch personnel reported several trees downed by high wind across the county.
Dispatch personnel reported a few trees downed by high wind from Madisonville to the mountains.
Dispatch personnel reported a few trees downed by high wind from Madisonville to the mountains.
Dispatch personnel reported 4 trees downed by high wind near Jonesborough.
Dispatch personnel reported 1 tree and cable lines downed by high wind near Hampton.
Dispatch personnel reported a couple of trees downed by high wind in Erwin.
The local newspaper reported a new pavilion under construction in Del Rio was flattened by high wind.
Park service personnel reported a measured wind gust to 73 mph at Cove Mountain 5 miles south of Gatlinburg.
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: 421113, 421114, 421115, 421116, 421117, 421119, 421120, 424383, 421124.