Moisture overrunning a stalled frontal boundary created widespread freezing rain across the northwestern half of Middle Tennessee from the late evening hours on December 7 into the morning of December 8. Since much of the ice accumulation that occurred on December 6 did not melt, these additional ice accumulations resulted in widespread tree damage and power outages across parts of northwest…
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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.
Moisture overrunning a stalled frontal boundary created widespread freezing rain across the northwestern half of Middle Tennessee from the late evening hours on December 7 into the morning of December 8. Since much of the ice accumulation that occurred on December 6 did not melt, these additional ice accumulations resulted in widespread tree damage and power outages across parts of northwest Middle Tennessee.
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 7, 6:10 PM CST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 610 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 .DISCUSSION... CURRENT FREEZING LINE IS ROUGHLY LOCATED ALONG THE TN/AK BORDER. SOME REFLECTIVITY RETURN LOCATED OVER WESTERN TN BUT THE CLOSEST PRECIP REPORTED SO FAR IS OVER EASTERN AR. LATEST OHX SOUNDING DATA SUPPORTS A RATHER DRY SOUNDING ABOVE 800 MB. STILL EXPECTING THE SFC TROUGH INVERSION TO DEVELOP LATER TONIGHT. AS THIS HAPPENS...THE SOUTHERLY 850 MB FLOW WILL RAPIDLY INCREASE ALONG WITH THE COMMENCEMENT OF OVERRUNNING PRECIPITATION. ENOUGH WET BULB COOLING WILL ALLOW MUCH OF THE SOUNDING TO DROP BELOW THE ZERO LINE...AT LEAST INITIALLY. THIS WILL THEREFORE SUPPORT THE BRIEF ONSET OF SOME SLEET AND SNOW. HOWEVER...THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD QUICKLY CHANGEOVER TO FREEZING RAIN...EXCEPT ACROSS OUR FAR NW WHERE SLEET WILL CONTINUE FOR A WHILE LONGER. SOUNDING PROGS SUGGEST THAT ALL AREAS...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF OUR NORTHWESTERN AREAS...WILL SEE A DECREASE IN THE NORTHERLY SFC WIND COMPONENT. THUS...IT STILL LOOKS AS THOUGH TEMPS WILL WARM ABOVE FREEZING...FOR ALL BUT THE NW CORNER...AS WE MOVE TOWARD SUNRISE. TEMPS ACROSS OUR NW CORNER SHOULD ALSO EVENTUALLY WARM ABOVE FREEZING BUT IT MAY NOT HAPPEN UNTIL 10 AM OR SO. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE OVERALL QPF AMOUNTS WILL BE LIGHTER ACROSS OUR NORTHWESTERN COUNTIES. FOR NOW...NO CHANGES TO OUR FCST. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR RADAR DEVELOPMENT. VWP PROFILES WILL BE ESPECIALLY INTERESTING AND WILL GIVE US A HEADS UP AS TO WHEN THE OVERRUNNING STARTS TO RAMP UP. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 543 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013/ AVIATION 00Z DISCUSSION... LOW CIGS IN PLACE THIS EVENING. CONDITIONS WILL ACTUALLY BEGIN TO DETERIORATE AFT 06Z. SOUTHERLY 850 MB FLOW WILL INCREASE AS A LOW LEVEL INVERTED TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER THE MID STATE. FREEZING LINE IS CURRENTLY LOCATED ALONG THE TN/AL BORDER. THIS FEATURE WILL SLOWLY WORK NORTHWARD OVERNIGHT. THE PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AS PL AND POSSIBLY SN AS THE SOUNDING IS QUITE DRY ABOVE 800 MB AND SOME EXTRA WET BULB COOLING IS LIKELY. HOWEVER...IT SHOULD QUICKLY TRANSITION OVER TO FZRA. BY 12Z...THE INVERTED TROUGH WILL ALLOW THE NORTHERLY SFC WIND COMPONENT TO DECREASE. THIS WILL HELP PUSH THE FREEZING LINE NORTHWARD AND SHOULD SWITCH THE PRECIP OVER TO RA AROUND 11Z-12Z AT CSV/BNA...15Z FOR CKV. RA WILL THEN CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PD. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 336 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013/ SHORT TERM... VERY CHILLY DAY ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE WITH TEMPS AT THIS HOUR STILL AT OR BELOW FREEZING AT ALL SURFACE OBSERVATIONS. THE COLD SUBFREEZING SURFACE AIRMASS SETS THE STAGE FOR OUR NEXT WINTER WEATHER EVENT...WHICH IS STILL ON TRACK FOR TONIGHT WITH GUIDANCE ALL IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN PLACE. LIGHT RADAR RETURNS BEGINNING TO SHOW UP ACROSS ARKANSAS/MISSISSIPPI...AND THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE AND SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD INTO THE CWA BY 03Z THEN BLOSSOM ACROSS THE REST OF THE CWA BY 06Z AS WAA INCREASES AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING JET MAX OVER THE PLAINS. WITH THE SHALLOW SUBFREEZING SURFACE LAYER AND 2-6 DEGREE DEWPOINT DEPRESSIONS...ALONG WITH CONSIDERABLE DRY AIR ALOFT...WET BULB EFFECTS DUE TO PRECIPITATION DEVELOPING/FALLING THROUGH THESE LAYERS SHOULD SUPPORT PRECIP BEGINNING AS A LIGHT SNOW/SLEET MIX ALONG AND NORTH OF I-40 WITH MORE OF A LIGHT FREEZING RAIN/SLEET MIX TO THE SOUTH. TOWARDS/AFTER MIDNIGHT...PRECIP WILL TRANSITION TO LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET THROUGHOUT THE ADVISORY AREA AS 925-650MB LAYER WARMS TO 5C. INCREASING WAA WILL FORCE SURFACE FREEZING LINE NORTHWARD THROUGH THE NIGHT...CAUSING THE WINTRY MIX TO CHANGEOVER TO RAIN FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. FREEZING LINE CURRENTLY IS ANTICIPATED TO BE NEAR A HURRICANE MILLS-NASHVILLE-LAFAYETTE LINE BY 12Z...WITH ALL AREAS EXPECTED TO RISE ABOVE FREEZING BY 15Z SUNDAY MORNING ENDING THE WINTER WX THREAT. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL THEN CONTINUE ACROSS MAINLY THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF THE AREA DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY. ICE ACCUMULATIONS AROUND ONE TENTH TO PERHAPS TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH IN THE ADVISORY AREA STILL APPEAR REASONABLE. THESE RELATIVELY LOW AMOUNTS OF ICE SHOULD CAUSE MINIMAL IMPACT TO TREES AND POWER LINES...BUT COULD CREATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. HIGHEST ICE ACCUMS LOOK TO BE FOCUSED ALONG A LOBELVILLE TO LAFAYETTE LINE...INCLUDING THE NASHVILLE METRO...WHERE HIGHEST QPF COINCIDES WITH LONGEST PERIOD OF BELOW FREEZING TEMPS. ALSO OF NOTE...SOUNDINGS DEPICT ELEVATED CAPE UP TO 500J/KG OVERNIGHT SO A FEW THUNDERSTORMS CANNOT BE RULED OUT...WHICH COULD LOCALLY RAISE SLEET OR FZRA ACCUMS. SHAMBURGER LONG TERM... DEEP MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BE ONGOING SUNDAY NIGHT...AND THE NEXT WAVE IN THE SERIES WILL PRODUCE WIDESPREAD RAIN...ESPECIALLY EAST OF I 65. SUNDAY NIGHT RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM UNDER ONE QUARTER INCH WEST TO AROUND ONE INCH ON THE PLATEAU. WE DO NOT EXPECT ANY FLOODING PROBLEMS FROM THIS ADDITIONAL RAINFALL...BUT RIVERS AND STREAMS WILL BE RUNNING HIGHER THAN NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE RAIN WILL TAPER OFF MONDAY. A GOOD DEAL OF CLOUDINESS WILL LINGER AND TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL WITH HIGHS MONDAY IN THE LOW TO MID 40S. FOR MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR MORE WINTRY WX AS ANOTHER WAVE DEVELOPS IN THE SOUTHWEST FLOW. CONFIDENCE IS VERY LOW WITH MODELS VARYING ON PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS AND THERMAL PROFILES. WE WILL BLEND PREVIOUS FORECAST WITH THE 12Z GFS AND NAM. THIS WOULD BRING A DECENT CHANCE FOR MIXED WINTRY PRECIP ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST SECTION WITH GENERALLY LIGHT AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND SLEET OVER THE NORTHWEST. AT THIS TIME...THIS LOOKS LIKE A LOW END EVENT...PERHAPS ADVISORY LEVEL AT BEST. ADDITIONAL UPPER LEVEL ENERGY WILL COME OVER THE AREA TUESDAY...PERHAPS GENERATING SOME SCATTERED RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY LOOK DRY WITH COLDER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THURSDAY MORNING LOOKS THE COLDEST WITH HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING IN. BNA SHOULD DROP TO THE LOW 20S...WITH TEENS IN RURAL AREAS. BY THE WEEKEND...IT LOOKS LIKE UNSETTLED WEATHER WILL RETURN. 13 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... NASHVILLE 29 41 37 42 / 80 90 90 20 CLARKSVILLE 26 37 32 38 / 80 90 70 10 CROSSVILLE 30 45 41 44 / 80 100 100 80 COLUMBIA 30 42 38 44 / 80 90 90 40 LAWRENCEBURG 31 43 38 45 / 80 90 100 40 WAVERLY 28 38 33 40 / 80 90 70 10 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST SUNDAY FOR TNZ005>011-022>034-056>060-062>066. && 21
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 229 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 TNZ005>011-022>034-056>060-062>066-082030- 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-RUTHERFORD-CANNON-DE KALB-WHITE-CUMBERLAND- 229 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST SUNDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A MIX OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET IS EXPECTED TONIGHT ACROSS THE NORTHERN TWO THIRDS OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE. THIS FROZEN PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AROUND 9 PM FOR AREAS SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 40 CORRIDOR...THEN SPREAD NORTHWARD BY MIDNIGHT. ICE ACCUMULATIONS BETWEEN ONE TENTH AND TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH ARE EXPECTED. SOME TRAVEL HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED INTO SUNDAY MORNING. MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV OR BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHEAST HALF OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...AND SOME LOCALIZED MINOR FLOODING COULD OCCUR ESPECIALLY IN LOW LYING AND OTHER FLOOD PRONE AREAS. ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT SLEET AND SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS YET ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. ONLY MINOR ACCUMULATIONS...IF ANY...ARE ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV OR BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. TNZ061-075-077>080-093>095-082030- MARSHALL-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE- GILES- 229 PM CST SAT DEC 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. A MIX OF RAIN...FREEZING RAIN...AND SLEET IS POSSIBLE THIS EVENING BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO ALL RAIN OVERNIGHT. LITTLE OR NO ICE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHEAST HALF OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE...AND SOME LOCALIZED MINOR FLOODING COULD OCCUR ESPECIALLY IN LOW LYING AND OTHER FLOOD PRONE AREAS. ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT SLEET AND SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS YET ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. ONLY MINOR ACCUMULATIONS...IF ANY...ARE ANTICIPATED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY ICE ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. 55
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 ice storm, 6 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Benton County Emergency Management reported ice accumulations brought down trees and power lines all across the county causing some power outages.
Reports from Twitter indicated overnight ice accumulations of 0.25 inches on trees brought total ice accumulations from December 6 to December 8 to 0.50 inches in McEwen.
Dickson County Emergency Management and social media reported numerous trees and power lines were knocked down across the county. 6500 Dickson Electric customers were without power including the Herizon Medical Center Emergency Room. Overnight ice accumulations up to 0.25 inches brought total ice accumulations from December 6 to December 8 to 0.25 to 0.50 inches.
Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation reported over 3000 customers without power across mainly the northern half of Cheatham County due to ice accumulations on trees and power lines.
Reports from Twitter indicated overnight ice accumulations up to 0.25 inches brought total ice accumulations from December 6 to December 8 up to 0.40 inches on trees and power lines in Clarksville. Widespread power outages affected much of Montgomery County.
Spotter and media reports indicated numerous trees and power lines down across Robertson County with scattered power outages mainly in southern part of the county. Several trees were knocked down on power lines along Empson Drive in Greenbrier. An NWS employee in White House measured overnight ice accumulations of 0.13 inches. Overnight ice accumulations up to 0.25 inches brought total ice accumulations from December 6 to December 8 up to 0.25 to 0.50 inches.
Social media reports indicated 0.10 inches of ice accumulation in Westmoreland. Ice accumulations of 0.10 to 0.25 inches were estimated across Sumner County.
Reports from Twitter indicated 0.23 inches of ice accumulation in Siloam. Ice accumulations of 0.10 to 0.25 inches were estimated across Macon County.
Law enforcement and social media reports indciated around 0.10 inches of ice accumulation across Wilson County. Numerous bridges and overpasses including Golden Bear Gateway near Curb Road had ice on them.
Williamson County Emergency Management reported up to 0.10 inches of ice accumulation across the county, with the highest amounts in western areas including Fairview. Several icy bridges and overpasses were reported.
Davidson County Emergency Management estimated around 0.10 inches of ice accumulation across most of the county, with 0.25 to 0.50 inches of ice accumulation at elevations above 900 feet. Ice formed on several bridges and overpasses across the county, resulting in several vehicle accidents. Ice on the 3rd Avenue Bridge over Interstate 65 just north of downtown Nashville contributed to a one vehicle accident with one fatality. Several trees and power lines were also knocked down in areas above 900 feet across the county.
Social media reports indicated 0.10 to 0.25 inches of ice accumulation in portions of the county. Several roadways in rural areas reportedly were very icy.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, Davidson | 2013-12-08 | 30 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, December 2013
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: 490744, 490745, 490746, 490747, 490748, 490749, 490750, 491308, 491309, 491312, 491313, 491314.