Light snow showers fell across much of Middle Tennessee on December 29 as a fast moving upper level disturbance moved across the region. Light snow accumulations were reported generally along and east of the I-65 corridor, with significant impacts on roadways including road closures and numerous vehicle accidents.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 OHX wrote it up.
Light snow showers fell across much of Middle Tennessee on December 29 as a fast moving upper level disturbance moved across the region. Light snow accumulations were reported generally along and east of the I-65 corridor, with significant impacts on roadways including road closures and numerous vehicle accidents.
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 29, 11:28 AM CST, 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 1128 AM CST SAT DEC 29 2012 .AVIATION... UPSTREAM OBSERVATIONS INDICATE CKV AND BNA WILL CONTINUE TO SEE MVFR CIGS AND VIS AS AN AREA OF LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS WITHIN A LAYER OF STRATUS APPROACHES. WINDS ALSO NOT AS GUSTY UPSTREAM WITH MOST SITES SHOWING STEADY NORTHWEST WINDS ABOUT 10 TO 15 KTS...BUT STILL EXPECT GUSTS TO 20KTS AT CSV THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CSV WILL LIKELY MAINTAIN IFR CIGS WITH OCCASIONAL VISIBILITY DROPS BELOW 3SM. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE OVERNIGHT WITH CLEARING SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS EXPECTED AT ALL THREE SITES BY DAYBREAK AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OVERHEAD. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 504 AM CST SAT DEC 29 2012 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-301115- 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- 504 AM CST SAT DEC 29 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL TRAVERSE MIDDLE TENNESSEE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. AS A RESULT...SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED...WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND A HALF INCH OR LESS POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. THE SNOW SHOWERS COMBINED WITH GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS UP TO 30 MPH WILL IMPACT TRAVEL LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. AL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Light snow with accumulations up to two tenths of an inch fell during the afternoon hours and froze onto some area roadways by evening. Numerous vehicle accidents were reported due to the icy roadways, including at the Old Hickory Boulevard exit on I-65 in Brentwood.
Light snow with accumulations up to two tenths of an inch fell during the afternoon hours and froze onto some area roadways by evening. Numerous vehicle accidents were reported due to the icy roadways, including on Highway 840 east of I-65.
Light snow with accumulations up to two tenths of an inch fell during the afternoon hours and froze onto some area roadways by evening. Numerous vehicle accidents were reported due to the icy roadways, including on Highway 840 west of I-24 near Arrington.
Light snow with accumulations up to one inch fell during the afternoon and evening hours across Grundy County. Several roadways were covered in snow and icy including Clouse Hill Road.
Light snow with accumulations up to one half inch fell during the afternoon and evening hours across Jackson County. Several roadways were covered in snow and icy including Highway 56.
Light snow with accumulations up to one half inch fell during the afternoon and evening hours across Warren County. Several roadways were covered in snow and icy.
Light snow with accumulations up to one half inch fell during the afternoon and evening hours across Fentress County. One half of the state and county roads in the county were covered by snow with some vehicle accidents.
Light snow with accumulations up to one inch fell during the afternoon and evening hours across Cumberland County. Several roadways were covered in snow and icy mainly above 1900 feet.
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: 424296, 424299, 424300, 424306, 424307, 424309, 424304, 424305.