The third winter weather event in as many days affected Middle Tennessee from late evening on December 9 into the morning of December 10. Much of the southeastern half of Middle Tennessee experienced rain and some freezing rain, while parts of the northwestern half received a mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow.
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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.
The third winter weather event in as many days affected Middle Tennessee from late evening on December 9 into the morning of December 10. Much of the southeastern half of Middle Tennessee experienced rain and some freezing rain, while parts of the northwestern half received a mix of rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow. A narrow band of up to 1 inch of snow fell along a line from Lobelville to Nashville to Lafayette, causing numerous travel problems.
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 9, 7:12 PM CST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 712 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 .UPDATE... SFC FREEZING LINE NOW EXTENDS GENERALLY ALONG I-65...WITH SUB FREEZING TEMPS TO THE WEST EXCEPT 32-34 SOUTHWEST. TEMPS ACROSS THE PLATEAU ARE IN THE LOW TO MID 30S. RADAR TRENDS FROM RADARS TO OUR SOUTHWEST SHOW A DEFINITIVE INCREASE IN PRECIP COVERAGE ACROSS MS AND EASTERN AR. MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT WITH SPREADING THIS MOISTURE NORTHEASTWARD RATHER RAPIDLY. BY 06Z...MUCH OF THE SOUTHEASTERN TWO THIRDS OF THE MID STATE WILL BE RECEIVING PRECIPITATION. IT STILL LOOKS AS THOUGH THE SOUTHERN AND PLATEAU AREAS COULD RECEIVE TOTAL LIQ EQUIVALENT AMOUNTS OF BETWEEN ONE QUARTER AND ONE HALF INCH. IF THE BULK OF THIS FALLS WITH SUB FREEZING TEMPS IN PLACE...WE WILL NEED TO CONSIDER UPGRADING TO A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THAT EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AREA. FOR NOW THOUGH...WILL KEEP THE ADVISORY GOING BUT WILL INCREASE ICE AMOUNTS ACROSS THE SOUTH AND PLATEAU TO TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH. WILL ALSO ADJUST GRAPHICS SO THAT SNOW AMOUNTS SUPPORT THE ADVISORY CRITERIA ON THE NORTHWESTERN EDGE OF THE ADVISORY. OTW...LATEST SOUNDING IS RATHER DRY ABOVE 800 MB AND LOOKS LIKE A SNOW SOUNDING CONSIDERING THE UPCOMING WET BULB COOLING THAT WILL TAKE PLACE. FURTHER SOUTH...FREEZING RAIN WILL BE THE BIGGER IMPACT ACROSS THE SOUTH AND PLATEAU. AGAIN...THIS AREA WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED. UPDATES OUT SHORTLY. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 552 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013/ AVIATION 00Z DISCUSSION... ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE NORTHEASTWARD FROM THE NORTHERN GULF AND SPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION BACK ACROSS THE MID STATE OVERNIGHT. SOME SIGNIFICANT ICING WILL BE POSSIBLE NEAR CSV AFT 06Z. A GRADUAL SHIFT TO ALL SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED BETWEEN 9 AND 12Z. OVERALL PRECIP AMOUNTS WILL BE GREATEST ACROSS CSV WITH MUCH LIGHTER AMOUNTS EXPECTED AT CKV. THE IFR CIGS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 18Z. AFT 18Z...PARTIAL CLEARING IS EXPECTED. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 420 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013/ SHORT TERM... ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER ROUND OF WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED YET AGAIN TONIGHT ACROSS THE MID STATE AS PRECIPITATION DEVELOPING TO THE SOUTHWEST SPREADS NORTHEASTWARD ATOP THE COLD ARCTIC AIRMASS ENTRENCHED OVER THE REGION. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOW DEVELOPING ACROSS TEXAS/LOUISIANA/MISSISSIPPI...AND THIS ACTIVITY WILL SPREAD NORTHEASTWARD VERY RAPIDLY AND REACH THE MID STATE THIS EVENING BEFORE SPREADING QUICKLY ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT AND EXITING BY TUESDAY MORNING. MODELS ARE FINALLY IN DECENT AGREEMENT ON EVOLUTION OF SYSTEM TONIGHT...AND AFTER AN EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS OF ALL 12Z MODEL DATA A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WAS ISSUED FOR THE SOUTHEAST TWO-THIRDS OF THE MID STATE...ROUGHLY SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM LINDEN TO GALLATIN. AN EXTENSIVE LOOK AT 12Z GFS/NAM FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM WAYNESBORO TO CROSSVILLE WILL INITIALLY SEE PRECIP FALL AS RAIN WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 30S...BUT AS TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING LATER THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT A TRANSITION TO ALL FREEZING RAIN IS ANTICIPATED. QPF AMOUNTS SUGGEST AROUND ONE TENTH OF ICE ACCUMULATION IS MOST LIKELY IN THIS AREA...WITH MAIN IMPACTS BEING POTENTIALLY ICY BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. PRECIP MAY CHANGEOVER TO ALL SNOW TOWARDS THE END OF THE EVENT BUT LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS LIKELY IN THIS AREA. NORTH OF THE LINE FROM WAYNESBORO TO CROSSVILLE IN THE ADVISORY AREA...A MIX OF PRECIP TYPES IS EXPECTED INITIALLY WITH SOUNDINGS DEPICTING A DEEP SURFACE COLD LAYER WITH ONLY A RELATIVELY WEAK WARM NOSE ALOFT...SUGGESTING PREDOMINATELY SLEET OR SNOW FURTHER NORTH AND FZRA FURTHER SOUTH. STRONG LIFT AND SATURATING/COOLING OF THE ENTIRE COLUMN SHOULD CHANGE ANY SLEET/FZRA OVER TO SNOW NEAR/AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THIS PART OF THE ADVISORY AREA. QPF AMOUNTS INDICATE A DUSTING TO 1 INCH OF SNOW WOULD BE MOST COMMON WITH HIGHEST AMOUNTS EAST OF I-65 AND NORTH OF I-40...WITH TRAVEL SEEING THE MOST IMPACTS DUE TO POTENTIALLY SNOWY BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES. LONGER DURATION OF PRECIP AND COOLER TEMP PROFILES SUGGEST NORTHERN CUMBERLAND PLATEAU COULD END UP WITH HIGHER SNOW ACCUMS...AND THIS WILL HAVE TO BE CLOSELY MONITORED AS THE EVENT UNFOLDS. PRECIPITATION WILL BE ENCOUNTERING A VERY DRY AIRMASS ALOFT TO THE NORTHWEST OF THE MID STATE...AND A SHARP NORTHWEST EDGE TO THE PRECIP SHIELD IS ANTICIPATED LIKELY SOMEWHERE ALONG A LINE FROM LINDEN TO LAFAYETTE...WITH LITTLE OR NO PRECIP AT ALL ANTICIPATED IN NORTHWEST ZONES. THIS BACK EDGE TO THE PRECIP GIVES THE FORECAST CONSIDERABLE BUST POTENTIAL FOR THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES WITHIN THE ADVISORY AREA. UNFORTUNATELY...THIS BACK EDGE TO THE PRECIP WILL ALSO LIKELY BISECT THE NASHVILLE METRO...SO NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE METRO AREA MAY SEE LITTLE OR NO PRECIPITATION WHILE SOUTHEAST SECTIONS ARE MORE IMPACTED. EVEN MORE UNCERTAIN ARE CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS WITH THE PRECIP AS SOUNDINGS DEPICT SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY...SO IF STRONGER CONVECTION CAN FORM FZRA/ICE/SNOW AMOUNTS COULD BE HIGHER IN SOME LOCATIONS. LONG TERM... MAIN FORECAST FOCUS WAS ON WINTER WEATHER TONIGHT...SO FORECAST FOR REST OF THE WEEK RELIED HEAVILY ON THE 12Z GFS. APPEARS CLOUDS WILL FINALLY CLEAR ACROSS THE CWA BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW DEVELOPS IN THE LOW LEVELS...BUT THIS WILL RESULT IN SEVERAL COLD DAYS FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK WITH LOWS IN THE TEENS NORTHWEST TO 20 ELSEWHERE AND HIGHS ONLY IN THE 30S AND 40S. WARMING TREND ANTICIPATED BY FRIDAY AS SURFACE RIDGE MOVES EAST AND SOUTHERLY FLOW DEVELOPS. COULD SEE A BIT OF A RAIN/SNOW MIX ON THE PLATEAU EARLY FRIDAY NIGHT...BUT EVENTUALLY ALL RAIN IS EXPECTED EVERYWHERE AS TEMPS WARM CONSIDERABLY INTO SATURDAY. STRONG CAA IN THE WAKE OF THE UPCOMING WEEKEND SYSTEM WILL BRING MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES AND OUR NEXT CHANCE FOR LIGHT SNOW SATURDAY NIGHT...ALTHOUGH MAIN DEFORMATION BAND LOOKS TO STAY WELL NORTH OF THE MID STATE. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 9 AM CST TUESDAY FOR TNZ008>011- 027>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095. && 21
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 819 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 TNZ008>011-027>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-102215- SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-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- 412 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM CST TUESDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A QUICK-MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL BRING YET ANOTHER CHANCE FOR WINTRY WEATHER LATE TONIGHT. FOR AREAS NORTH OF A LINE FROM WAYNESBORO TO COOKEVILLE...INCLUDING METRO NASHVILLE...MAINLY SNOW WILL FALL TONIGHT WITH ACCUMULATIONS ANYWHERE FROM A DUSTING UP TO AND AROUND ONE INCH ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE UPPER CUMBERLAND PLATEAU COUNTIES. A LITTLE SLEET MAY MIX IN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EVENT AS WELL. SOUTH OF THAT LINE...MAINLY SOUTH OF I-40...FREEZING RAIN WILL BE THE MAIN WEATHER TYPE WHERE ONE TENTH TO ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT. THUS...A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 9PM TONIGHT UNTIL 9AM TUESDAY. TRAVEL WILL BECOME HAZARDOUS LATE TONIGHT INTO THE TUESDAY MORNING COMMUTE ACROSS MUCH OF MIDDLE TN...SO USE EXTREME CAUTION. CONDITIONS COULD BECOME ESPECIALLY TREACHEROUS ALONG THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU AREA WHERE ICE SLEET AND SNOW ACCUMULATION ON MANY ROADWAY SURFACES IS LOOKING EVEN MORE LIKELY. MORE INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV OR BY LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LINGERING SNOW MAY AFFECT THE EARLY TUESDAY MORNING COMMUTE...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE UPPER AND LOWER CUMBERLAND PLATEAU COUNTIES. USE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY ICE OR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. TNZ005>007-022>026-102215- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-BENTON-HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS-DICKSON- CHEATHAM- 819 PM CST MON DEC 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A QUICK-MOVING STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE MID STATE TONIGHT. LIGHT SNOW MAY FALL ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST MIDDLE TENNESSEE AFTER 9PM TONIGHT...HOWEVER NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SNOW ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. 21
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
11 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement reported ice covered most elevated surfaces across the county with ice on some bridges and overpasses.
Law enforcement reported ice covered most elevated surfaces across the county.
Twitter reports estimated around 0.25 inches of ice accumulation in the McKays Mill area of Franklin. A CoCoRaHS observer measured 0.5 inches of snow 3.8 miles south-southwest of Fairview.
Twitter reports estimated around 0.25 inches of ice accumulation in southeast Murfreesboro.
Snowfall of 0.8 inches was measured at the NWS Nashville office.
Snowfall of 0.5 to 1.1 inches fell across Davidson County. CoCoRaHS snow measurements included 1.1 inches 5.2 miles west-southwest of Nashville, and 1.0 inches of snow 5.3 miles west-southwest of Belle Meade. Twitter reports indicated 0.5 inches of snow fell between Brentwood and Antioch. Snowfall combined with low temperatures in the 20s on the morning of December 10 to cause severe traffic congestion and numerous accidents throughout the Nashville metro area, with several interstates closed due to icy conditions.
A CoCoRaHS observer measured 0.6 inches of snow in Kingston Springs.
Around 1 inch of snow fell across Macon County. A CoCoRaHS observer measured 1.0 inch of snow in Siloam, and another CoCoRaHS observer measured 1.0 inch of snow 7 miles north-northeast of Red Boiling Springs.
Around 0.5 to 1 inch of snow fell across southeastern parts of Sumner County. A CoCoRaHS observer measured 1.0 inch of snow in Bethpage, another CoCoRaHS observer measured 1.0 inch of snow 3 miles northeast of Hendersonville, and another CoCoRaHS observer measured 0.7 inches of snow 2 miles west-northwest of Gallatin.
A CoCoRaHS observer measured 0.5 inches of snow 4.5 miles north-northeast of Elmwood.
A CoCoRaHS observer measured 0.5 inches of snow 2.8 miles south-southwest of Byrdstown.
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: 491315, 491326, 491327, 491328, 491330, 491336, 491339, 491340, 491341, 491342, 491343.