Organized convection developed over the Southern Appalachian region in the presence of a very moist and unstable air mass. Relatively strong winds through a deep portion of the atmosphere helped to produce an extensive outflow boundary resulting in numerous downed trees and significant structural damage to homes and businesses.
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 MRX wrote it up.
Organized convection developed over the Southern Appalachian region in the presence of a very moist and unstable air mass. Relatively strong winds through a deep portion of the atmosphere helped to produce an extensive outflow boundary resulting in numerous downed trees and significant structural damage to homes and businesses. The powerful thunderstorm complex resulted in four fatalities and 9 injuries.
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 Jul 5, 12:15 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
215 PM EDT THU JUL 5 2012
.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)...CURRENT SURFACE
ANALYSIS SHOWS A HOT...HUMID...AND STAGNANT AIR MASS OVER THE
REGION...WITH A VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS OVER THE FORECAST AREA. MODEL
SOUNDINGS ALSO REVEAL AN AIR MASS THAT IS VERY CONDUCIVE TO
PRODUCING STRONG WIND GUSTS...EVIDENCED BY AN INVERTED-V PROFILE IN
THE BOUNDARY LAYER AND A DEEP MID-LEVEL DRY LAYER. THUS...IT APPEARS
THAT THE CURRENT COMPLEX OF STORMS MOVING SOUTHWARD FROM THE OHIO
RIVER VALLEY COULD PRODUCE A WIDESPREAD WIND EVENT WITH LOCALLY
HEAVY RAINFALL AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. OTHERWISE...
MODELS INDICATE THAT THE UPPER-LEVEL HIGH OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS
WILL BUILD FARTHER EASTWARD OVER THE WEEKEND...WITH TEMPS REMAINING
WELL ABOVE NORMAL AND DIURNAL SCATTERED CONVECTION DEVELOPING EACH
DAY. AS FOR TEMPS...WILL GENERALLY TREND TOWARDS A PERSISTENCE
FORECAST THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...AND WILL REISSUE THE HEAT ADVISORY
FOR SOUTHEAST TN FOR TOMORROW SINCE HEAT INDICES WILL AGAIN REACH
AROUND 105 DEGREES IN THE AFTERNOON.
.LONG TERM (SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...MAIN CONCERN DURING THE
EXTEND CONTINUES TO BE TIMING AND POSITION OF AN APPROACHING COLD
FRONT. THE FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN AROUND THE SUNDAY/MONDAY
TIME FRAME... THEN STALL JUST SOUTH AND EAST OF THE REGION FOR
TUESDAY AND CONTINUE TO EFFECT AREA WEATHER THROUGH THE REST OF THE
EXTENDED. AS A RESULT...WILL SEE A RATHER UNSETTLED EXTENDED PERIOD
WITH A CHANCE OF CONVECTION MOST DAYS. BEST CHANCE WILL BE AS THE
FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA. CURRENT MODEL RUNS BRING THE FRONT AND
THE BEST CHANCE OF CONVECTION IN ON MONDAY AND HAVE INCREASED POPS
TO LIKELY FOR THIS PERIOD.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 72 100 73 100 73 / 40 20 20 20 20
KNOXVILLE AIRPORT, TN 70 98 71 98 71 / 40 20 20 20 20
OAK RIDGE, TN 71 98 72 98 72 / 40 20 20 20 20
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 68 96 69 96 69 / 40 20 20 20 20
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...NONE.
TN...HEAT ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM EDT /8 PM CDT/ THIS EVENING FOR THE
FOLLOWING ZONES: BLEDSOE...BRADLEY...HAMILTON...MARION...
MCMINN...MEIGS...RHEA...SEQUATCHIE...WEST POLK.
HEAT ADVISORY FROM NOON EDT /11 AM CDT/ TO 9 PM EDT /8 PM CDT/
FRIDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES: BLEDSOE...BRADLEY...
HAMILTON...MARION...MCMINN...MEIGS...RHEA...SEQUATCHIE...
WEST POLK.
VA...NONE.
&&
DMG/MJBHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 920 AM EDT THU JUL 5 2012 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-061000- 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- 920 AM EDT (820 AM CDT) THU JUL 5 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA...AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS COMPLEX WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. A HEAT ADVISORY HAS BEEN POSTED FOR MOST OF SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH HEAT INDEX VALUES REACHING 100 TO 105 DEGREES DURING PEAK HEATING. TAKE IT EASY ON THOSE OUTDOOR PROJECTS OR ACTIVITIES...AND FIND A SHADY SPOT AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING THROUGH THE WEEKEND...WITH THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE INCREASING SIGNIFICANTLY BY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS A COLD FRONT SAGS SOUTHWARD INTO THE REGION. THE MAIN SEVERE THREATS EACH DAY WILL BE STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. HOT TEMPERATURES REMAIN IN THE FORECAST INTO THE WEEKEND...AND HEAT INDICES MAY APPROACH OR EXCEED 105 DEGREES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE AGAIN ON FRIDAY. STAY TUNED...AND REMEMBER TO PRACTICE SAFETY RULES IF YOU ARE OUT IN THE HEAT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND POSSIBLY AGAIN SOMETIME EARLY NEXT WEEK. DMG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1009 AM EDT THU JUL 05 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0350 PM TSTM WND DMG HILTONS 36.65N 82.47W
07/04/2012 SCOTT VA 911 CALL CENTER
FEW TREES DOWN ALONG AP CARTER HIGHWAY NEAR HILTONS.
&&SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 202 PM EDT THU JUL 5 2012 TNZ098-051845- MARION TN- 102 PM CDT THU JUL 5 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MARION COUNTY UNTIL 145 PM CDT... AT 100 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES NORTH OF SOUTH PITTSBURG...OR 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF JASPER...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MPH. SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...JASPER...SOUTH PITTSBURG...ORME AND MARTIN SPRINGS. THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. MJB
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:46 UTC.
37 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were reported down in the vicinity of Battle Creek.
Two miles east of Bristol a portion of a roof was damaged and one tree was reported down.
Two large trees were reported down. The first occurred on Holston Avenue and was six feet in diameter and the second was on Unaka Road and was four feet in diameter.
Numerous trees and power lines were reported down in Johnson City.
Several trees were reported down in Kingsport.
One tree was reported down in Surgoinsville.
Several trees were reported down across the county.
Numerous trees were reported down across the county.
Numerous trees were reported down from Jellico to La Follette.
Numerous trees were reported down countywide including one that fell on a trailer in Bulls Gap.
A few trees were reported down on Henry Street in Morristown.
A few trees were reported down in the Witt community.
Numerous trees and power lines were reported down in Luttrell.
Several trees were reported down in Tazewell.
Several trees were reported down near the intersection of East Dumplin Valley Road and highway 92.
A few trees were reported down near Old Stage Road.
One tree and numerous limbs were reported down on Ruggles Ferry Road.
A few trees were reported down across the county.
Several trees and power lines were reported down. One of the trees was reported down on a vehicle.
A roof was blown off of a commercial structure.
Major damage was reported at the Mountain Cove Marina where two docks were damaged.
A few trees were reported down and the roof was damaged at a commercial structure on |John Sevier Highway.
Multiple trees were reported down.
A few trailers were damaged and several trees were reported down in a campground on Wears Valley Road.
A few trees were reported down one mile south of Maryville.
Numerous trees and power lines were reported down across the county.
One person was killed and three were injured when trees were blown down in the Cades Cove area.
One person was killed and four were injured when trees were blown down at the Abrams Creek Campground.
Several trees and power lines were reported down across the county.
Several trees were reported down in Rockwood.
Structural damage was reported at the Sunbright city garage. Also, numerous trees and power lines were reported down across the county.
A few trees were reported down in Ducktown.
Numerous trees were reported down across the county.
Numerous trees were reported down across the county.
Several trees were reported down in Athens.
A few trees were reported down on highway 33.
A houseboat capsized on Chickamauga Lake north of Chattanooga. A two year old female toddler and her grandmother were trapped under the boat when it capsized resulting in their deaths.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton | 2012-07-05 | 10 | Female | In Water | Direct |
| Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton | 2012-07-05 | 50 | Female | In Water | Direct |
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, July 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: 388576, 388578, 388586, 388587, 388609, 388611, 388612, 388613, 388616, 388617, 388618, 388619, 388620, 388621, 388622, 389667, 389668, 389669, 389670, 389671, 389672, 389673, 389674, 389675, 389681, 389683, 389684, 389685, 389686, 389687, 389688, 389689, 389690, 389691, 389692, 389693, 389694.