A cold front tracking through the area triggered thunderstorms during the afternoon hours. A few of the storms produced a damaging thunderstorm wind.
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.
A cold front tracking through the area triggered thunderstorms during the afternoon hours. A few of the storms produced a damaging thunderstorm 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 Aug 3, 2:30 PM EST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 330 PM EDT FRI AUG 3 2012 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY)...SURFACE PATTERN CHANGES LITTLE THROUGH THE PERIOD. HIGH PRESSURE RIDGES FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE DEEP SOUTH. SOUTHWESTERLY LOW LEVEL FLOW WILL KEEP PWAT VALUES AT OR ABOVE 1.80. MID LEVEL SHORT WAVE WILL STALL OVER EAST TN VALLEY TONIGHT. GOOD PRECIPITATION CHANCES THIS WEEKEND THOUGH TRIGGERING MECHANISMS ARE HARD TO FIND. PARTIAL THICKNESS VALUES AND STEERING FLOW FAVOR STORMS DROPPING INTO MRX CWA FROM THE WEST AND NW. SO ONGOING WARM SECTOR CONVECTION WILL BE POSSIBLE MOST ANY TIME. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED SUNDAY IN ADVANCE OF APPROACHING COLD FRONT. TIMING OF THESE STORMS IS LATE ON SUNDAY. TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. .LONG TERM (SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)...A FRONT TRACKS THROUGH THE AREA ON SUNDAY NIGHT AND LINGERS INTO TUESDAY. WILL CONTINUE THE HIGHEST CHANCES POPS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY AND FOR IN THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA. WITH INSTABILITY LINGERING WILL CONTINUE THE CHANCE FOR DIURNAL ACTIVITY FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCE FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS EACH DAY. GUIDANCE TEMPERATURES LOOKED REASONABLE. STAYED NEAR MEX/HPC NUMBERS FOR TEMPERATURES. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 72 89 72 89 73 / 60 50 30 60 50 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 71 86 71 87 72 / 60 50 30 60 50 OAK RIDGE, TN 70 86 70 87 72 / 60 50 30 60 50 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 68 84 67 86 70 / 50 60 30 50 60 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && SON/GH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 425 AM EDT FRI AUG 3 2012 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-040830- 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- 425 AM EDT FRI AUG 3 2012 /325 AM CDT FRI AUG 3 2012/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... AN ORGANIZED AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL KENTUCKY AND MIDDLE TENNESSEE WILL TRACK SOUTHEAST TODAY...AND AFFECT EAST TENNESSEE...SOUTHWESTERN VIRGINIA AND WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA BY THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW STRONG STORMS AND ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE... WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING GUSTY WINDS OF 50 MPH OR HIGHER... HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS IN EXCESS OF 1 INCH PER HOUR. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY... INCREASING MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR WILL ONCE AGAIN PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ON SATURDAY. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE STRONG AND PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL RAINS. FOR SUNDAY...A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE TOWARD THE AREA WITH CONTINUED MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR. AS THE FRONT APPROACHES THE TENNESSEE VALLEY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING EVENING...SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE MAIN THREAT BEING DAMAGING WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TG
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
302 PM EDT FRI AUG 03 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0250 PM TSTM WND DMG GREENEVILLE 36.17N 82.82W
08/03/2012 GREENE TN TRAINED SPOTTER
A COUPLE TREES AND SEVERAL LARGE TREE LIMBS DOWN.
&&SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 333 PM EDT FRI AUG 3 2012 TNZ018-VAZ008-032015- JOHNSON TN-WASHINGTON VA- 333 PM EDT FRI AUG 3 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WASHINGTON AND JOHNSON COUNTIES UNTIL 415 PM EDT... AT 330 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ABINGDON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...DAMASCUS... EMORY-MEADOW VIEW...GLADE SPRING AND KONNAROCK. IN ADDITION TO SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES PRIMARY KILLERS ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. DH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
335 PM EDT FRI AUG 03 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0310 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 N GREENEVILLE 36.21N 82.82W
08/03/2012 GREENE TN TRAINED SPOTTER
2 BARNS DESTROYED.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
347 PM EDT FRI AUG 03 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0320 PM TSTM WND DMG BAILEYTON 36.33N 82.83W
08/03/2012 GREENE TN EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN NEAR BAILEYTON.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
405 PM EDT FRI AUG 03 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0310 PM HAIL MOSHEIM 36.19N 82.96W
08/03/2012 E1.00 INCH GREENE TN EMERGENCY MNGR
&&SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 409 PM EDT FRI AUG 3 2012 TNZ082>085-032100- BLEDSOE TN-MCMINN TN-MEIGS TN-RHEA TN- 409 PM EDT FRI AUG 3 2012 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MEIGS...MCMINN...BLEDSOE AND RHEA COUNTIES UNTIL 500 PM EDT/400 PM CDT/... AT 302 PM CDT/402 PM EDT/...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES NORTH OF PIKEVILLE TO HARRISON...AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THESE STORMS INCLUDE...DAYTON...DECATUR... ATHENS...SPRING CITY...GRAYSVILLE...MELVINE...EVENSVILLE...BIG SPRING...OLD WASHINGTON...HILLSVIEW...CALHOUN...GRANDVIEW... PEAKLAND...RICEVILLE AND CLEAR WATER. 17
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:52 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement personnel reported a couple of trees downed by thunderstorm wind around Gate City.
Law enforcement personnel reported a couple of trees downed by thunderstorm wind around Bristol.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, August 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: 402241, 402244.