Tennessee, 2012

Winter Weather in Tennessee, January 12, 2012

January 12, 2012 · NWS HUN · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong Arctic cold front pushed through the region Friday morning and afternoon bringing gusty westerly winds of 20 to 30 mph gusting at times near 40 mph and dropping temperatures from the 40s and lower 50s into the upper 20s and lower 30s in a matter of one to three hours. Rain and drizzle gave way to snow showers behind the front, with a few convective snow showers reducing visibility to…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS HUN wrote it up.

A strong Arctic cold front pushed through the region Friday morning and afternoon bringing gusty westerly winds of 20 to 30 mph gusting at times near 40 mph and dropping temperatures from the 40s and lower 50s into the upper 20s and lower 30s in a matter of one to three hours. Rain and drizzle gave way to snow showers behind the front, with a few convective snow showers reducing visibility to 3/4 mile or less for short periods in moderate snowfall. Snowfall accumulated in spots from a trace up to three tenths of an inch.

Due to very wet road conditions from earlier rainfall and additional snowfall, black ice developed rapidly around sunset. Any melted snow due to traffic on roadways melted and refroze quickly, causing icy conditions to develop during the evening commute home. Many schools were either delayed or closed on the morning of the 13th due to the icy travel.

What forecasters said that day

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 Huntsville, AL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 12, 1:36 PM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 12, 1:36 PM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 12, 12:39 PM CST, 2 hours 21 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jan 12, 10:25 AM CST, 4 hours 35 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 10:53 AM CST, 4 hours 7 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jan 12, 11:46 AM CST, 3 hours 14 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 11:54 AM CST, 3 hours 6 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jan 12, 1:31 PM CST, 1 hour 29 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jan 12, 2:46 PM CST, 14 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Franklin

When
January 12, 3:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
35.155, -86.092 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three tenths of an inch of snow was reported in Sewanee.

Winter Weather, Lincoln

When
January 12, 3:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
35.141, -86.589 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Up to three tenths of an inch of snow was reported in Fayetteville.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, January 2012

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 362610, 362611.