From the mid morning hours through the early evening hours on Tuesday, May 29th, across ten counties in Middle Tennessee, as successive lines of showers and thunderstorms moved through during the mid morning hours and through the afternoon hours respectively, some thunderstorms reached severe thresholds producing thunderstorm wind damage. There was also flash flooding in Benton County and a…
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 OHX wrote it up.
From the mid morning hours through the early evening hours on Tuesday, May 29th, across ten counties in Middle Tennessee, as successive lines of showers and thunderstorms moved through during the mid morning hours and through the afternoon hours respectively, some thunderstorms reached severe thresholds producing thunderstorm wind damage. There was also flash flooding in Benton County and a lightning strike in Stewart 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 May 29, 2:12 AM CST, 3 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED DAY 3 IN PARA 5 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 312 AM CDT TUE MAY 29 2012 .DISCUSSION...FRONTAL SYSTEM NEAR ST LOUIS IS MOVING SEWD TOWARD THE AREA. AT THE SAME TIME...MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH BERYL IS INCREASING OVER EAST TN. THE INCREASED COLUMN MOISTURE AND THE PRESENCE OF THE FRONT WILL PUSH POPS INTO THE CHANCE CATEGORY FOR TODAY. LOCAL WRF BRINGS MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT INTO STEWART COUNTY BY LATE MORNING AS MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH BERYL BUILDS UP OVER EAST TN AND THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU. FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE MIDSTATE...GOING QUASI-STATIONARY JUST TO THE SOUTH OF THE AREA BY LATE TONIGHT. POPS DIMINISH TONIGHT AS MID LEVEL DRY AIR PUSHES INTO THE AREA. NOT MUCH HAPPENING ON WED UNTIL DRY AIR GETS PUSHED OUT OF THE AREA AND THE FRONT TO THE SOUTH MOVES BACK NORTH DRIFTS BACK NORTH BY THU AM. BY THU AM A VIGOROUS H5 WAVE DROPS INTO THE PLAINS...SPINNING UP A MAJOR SFC LOW IN THE LOWER PLAINS. THE SFC LOW PUSHES NEWD INTO THE MID MS/OH/TN VALLEYS BY LATE THU. OF COURSE...THIS INCREASES POPS SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THU THROUGH FRI AM. AT THIS POINT THE GFS AND ECM DIVERGE A BIT. THE ECM MOVES THE SYSTEM FASTER EAST ON THU NGT AND FRI WITH COLD AIR COMING IN FASTER ON THE ECM COMPARED TO THE GFS. HAVE STRUCK COMPROMISES ON POPS AND TEMPS TO BRIDGE THESE DIFFERENCES. THERE WAS SOME INDICATION OF POST FRONTAL SHOWERS ON BOTH MODELS BUT LOCATION AND TIMING WAS RATHER DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE AND HAVE THUS LEFT SUN AND MON DRY. AS FAR AS WX THREATS GO...THE DAY 3 OUTLOOK FOR THU/THU NGT HAS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SVR TSTMS. HPC HAS ABOUT 1-2 INCHES OF RAINFALL FOR THEIR 5 DAY TOTALS FOR THIS WEEK(MON-FRI) WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL RESERVED FOR THE OH VALLEY AREA. WELL I GUESS THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE'LL GET A COUPLE OF DAYS (FRI-SAT) OF AT OR BELOW NORMAL TEMPS BEFORE THE HEAT COMES BACK. MAY WILL WIND UP WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURE WISE...THE SEVENTH MONTH IN A ROW. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... NASHVILLE 89 65 90 64 / 40 20 05 10 CLARKSVILLE 88 62 88 60 / 40 20 05 10 CROSSVILLE 82 61 86 60 / 50 30 05 20 COLUMBIA 90 65 91 65 / 40 30 05 20 LAWRENCEBURG 90 64 91 64 / 30 30 10 20 WAVERLY 90 64 89 63 / 40 20 10 20 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && JLM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 428 AM CDT TUE MAY 29 2012 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-301030- 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- 428 AM CDT TUE MAY 29 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA TODAY WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. HEAVY DOWNPOURS...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE SOUTH OF THE AREA TONIGHT...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY... A STRONGER SYSTEM WILL BRING MORE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... REPORTS FROM TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS MAY BE NEEDED THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THURSDAY NIGHT. SPOTTER THUNDERSTORM REPORTING CRITERIA... TORNADO FUNNEL CLOUD FLOODING HAIL >= 1/2 INCH WINDS > 50 MPH (MEASURED) STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TREES OR POWER LINES DOWN 04
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
527 AM CDT TUE MAY 29 2012
TNZ022-291100-
BENTON-
527 AM CDT TUE MAY 29 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BENTON COUNTY...
AT 523 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR CAMDEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
PENNY SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS 30 TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.
LAT...LON 3620 8814 3622 8814 3624 8810 3628 8809
3635 8798 3631 8795 3622 8795 3616 8791
3613 8792 3609 8795 3598 8817 3604 8822
3612 8822
04SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
632 AM CDT TUE MAY 29 2012
TNZ005-022>024-056-291230-
BENTON-HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-PERRY-STEWART-
632 AM CDT TUE MAY 29 2012
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BENTON...HOUSTON...HUMPHREYS...
PERRY AND STEWART COUNTIES...
AT 621 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE ACROSS BENTON...WESTERN
HUMPHREYS...HOUSTON AND SOUTHERN STEWART COUNTIES.
NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS.
LAT...LON 3612 8822 3626 8809 3636 8810 3637 8801
3645 8806 3663 8764 3654 8762 3584 8777
3577 8799 3581 8798 3581 8802 3585 8805
3583 8809 3584 8821
04The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
23 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Several roads flooded northeast of Camden including Ebenezer Road, Joe Corbitt Road, Flatwoods Road, and Cuff Road. Within this area, CoCoRaHS reports measured 5.75 inches of rainfall between 4:45 am and 8:22 am.
Several trees were downed in and around Camden.
Several trees were blown down on Cedar Grove Road.
Lightning struck a shed and set it on fire on Leatherwood Road in Dover. Specific details on how much damage occurred to the shed and associated damage costs were unknown.
Roof was blown off of Allen’s Gun Shop on Dover Road.
A roof was blown off a building in Port Royal. Type of building was unknown. Several trees were also downed in this area.
Some trees were downed behind the target shopping center off of Dunlop Lane.
Several one foot trees were downed along with some corn fields that were flattened.
Some trees were snapped near Adams.
A tree was downed in Cumberland City.
Some trees were downed across western portions of county.
Multiple trees were downed at the intersection of Glenn Raven Road and Turnersville Road.
A few trees were downed across southwestern portions of the county in and around Shiloh.
A few trees were downed on State Highway 46 near the Dickson County Line.
In Turnersville and the surrounding areas multiple trees were reported downed and Glenn Raven Road was temporarily blocked. One vehicle was struck by a fallen tree. Law enforcement officials confirmed that no one was injured. Specific details concerning any damage to the vehicle were unknown.
A tree was downed in Cedar Hill.
A train track gate was blown down in Waverly. Details concerning which particular train track gate blown down were unknown. Several trees were also downed in Waverly.
Some trees were downed along Distillery Road.
A tree fell on a home on Clearlake Drive in La Vergne. Details concerning any damage that occurred to the home were unknown.
Several trees and large limbs were blown down near Veterans Memorial Park.
Numerous trees and large limbs were blown down in the Lake Forest Subdivision.
Multiple trees were downed resulting in power outages in Tullahoma.
A tree fell on a house on Fair Street in Leoma. Specific details concerning any damage to the house were unknown.
A tree was downed across County Highway 326. Several other roads across southern portions of the county had trees downed on them too.
In and around Minor Hill, several trees fell on roadways and scattered power outages were reported.
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, May 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: 375501, 377401, 377161, 375500, 377633, 377356, 377167, 377170, 377360, 377365, 377368, 377630, 377371, 377374, 377389, 377628, 377378, 377405, 377383, 377635, 377636, 377404, 377397, 377396, 382641.