Tennessee, 2013

Heavy Snow in Tennessee, March 5 to 6, 2013

March 5 to 6, 2013 · NWS MRX · 11 events in 10 counties and zones

Moderate to heavy snow fell across the higher terrain in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee as well as the Smoky Mountains from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon. The heavy snow event was the result of the passage of a deep upper level low pressure system.

Where it happened

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.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MRX wrote it up.

Moderate to heavy snow fell across the higher terrain in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee as well as the Smoky Mountains from Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon. The heavy snow event was the result of the passage of a deep upper level low pressure system. Much of these higher terrain areas picked up three to six inches of snow while the highest peaks in the Smoky Mountains recorded snow totals as high as ten to fifteen inches.

What forecasters said that day

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 Mar 5, 8:38 PM EST, 2 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 8:38 PM EST, 2 hours 22 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
838 PM EST TUE MAR 5 2013

.DISCUSSION...
AN UPDATE WILL BE NEEDED TO ADJUST TEMPERATURES CLOSER TO
OBSERVATIONS...WHICH ARE DROPPING QUICKLY AS COLD ADVECTION BUILDS
IN BEHIND AN EXITING COLD FRONT. THE 00Z OHX SOUNDING SHOWS
SATURATION BELOW -10C WITH DRY AIR ABOVE...SO WE ARE NOT LIKELY TO
SEE MUCH ADDITIONAL PRECIP UNTIL THE STRONG VORT MAX AND 500 MB
TEMP MIN OVER MO/IL MOVES INTO THE AREA TO INCREASE MOISTURE DEPTH
AND LIFT. MODELS PROJECT THIS TO OCCUR AFTER 06Z. SOME POP/WX
ADJUSTMENTS WILL BE MADE TO REFLECT THIS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN             62  32  45  31  56 / 100  40  20  10   0
KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN  57  31  40  31  51 / 100  60  50  10   0
OAK RIDGE, TN                       55  32  40  31  51 / 100  60  50  10   0
TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN              51  30  38  30  46 / 100  80  60  20  10

&&

.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING ZONES:
     CHEROKEE...CLAY.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: CHEROKEE...CLAY.

TN...WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM EST /3 PM CST/ WEDNESDAY FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: ANDERSON...BLEDSOE...BLOUNT SMOKY
     MOUNTAINS...BRADLEY...CAMPBELL...CLAIBORNE...COCKE SMOKY
     MOUNTAINS...EAST POLK...GRAINGER...HAMBLEN...HAMILTON...
     HANCOCK...HAWKINS...JEFFERSON...JOHNSON...KNOX...LOUDON...
     MARION...MCMINN...MEIGS...MORGAN...NW BLOUNT...NORTH
     SEVIER...NORTHWEST CARTER...NORTHWEST COCKE...NORTHWEST
     GREENE...NORTHWEST MONROE...RHEA...ROANE...SCOTT TN...
     SEQUATCHIE...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST CARTER...
     SOUTHEAST GREENE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...SULLIVAN...UNICOI...
     UNION...WASHINGTON TN...WEST POLK.

     WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM EST THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS...COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS...
     JOHNSON...SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS...SOUTHEAST CARTER...
     SOUTHEAST GREENE...SOUTHEAST MONROE...UNICOI.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR
     THE FOLLOWING ZONES: CAMPBELL...CLAIBORNE...HANCOCK...
     HAWKINS...MORGAN...NORTHWEST CARTER...NORTHWEST GREENE...
     SCOTT TN...SULLIVAN...WASHINGTON TN.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST WEDNESDAY FOR THE
     FOLLOWING ZONES: EAST POLK.

VA...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM EST THURSDAY FOR THE FOLLOWING
     ZONES: WISE.

     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR
     THE FOLLOWING ZONES: LEE...RUSSELL...SCOTT...WASHINGTON.

&&

DGS
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 5, 3:38 PM EST, 7 hours 22 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
338 PM EST TUE MAR 5 2013

NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002-
005-006-008-062045-
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-
338 PM EST TUE MAR 5 2013 /238 PM CST TUE MAR 5 2013/

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH
CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE EASTERN TENNESSEE VALLEY AND
SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS LATE TODAY. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL PUSH IN BEHIND
THE FRONT...AND AN UPPER LEVEL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK
ACROSS THE REGION BEHIND THIS SYSTEM TONIGHT. RAIN SHOWERS WILL
QUICKLY CHANGE TO SNOW SHOWERS...AND SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE
ACROSS THE AREA INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT
TIMES ESPECIALLY LATE TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WINDY
CONDITIONS WILL ACCOMPANY THE COLD AND THE SNOW.

WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT. FOR MORE
DETAILS...PLEASE SEE THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND FORECASTS FROM YOUR
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...

ACCUMULATING SNOW CONTINUES INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT OVER THE HIGHER
TERRAIN...FOLLOWED BY A FEW DAYS OF DRY WEATHER AND SEASONAL
TEMPERATURES.

THUS...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED FROM THURSDAY THROUGH
MONDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED...BUT SNOWFALL REPORTS
TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY WILL BE HELPFUL.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Scott

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Scott forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
36.429, -84.503 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around two inches of snow was reported at Oneida.

Heavy Snow, Morgan

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Morgan forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
36.135, -84.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow was reported eight miles east of Deerlodge in the Chestnut Hill community.

Heavy Snow, Johnson

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Johnson forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.455, -81.852 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Four to five inches of snow was reported near Trade.

Heavy Snow, Southeast Carter

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Southeast Carter forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.293, -82.127 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to four inches of snow was reported near Roan Mountain.

Heavy Snow, Claiborne

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Claiborne forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.486, -83.660 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow was reported at Tazewell.

Heavy Snow, Morgan

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Morgan forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.135, -84.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow was reported at Deer Lodge.

Heavy Snow, Washington

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Washington forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.293, -82.497 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow was reported across the county.

Heavy Snow, Unicoi

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Unicoi forecast zone
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.111, -82.432 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six inches of snow was reported at Sam's Gap in the Pisgah National Forest at 3760 feet elevation.

Heavy Snow, Sevier/Smoky Mountains

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Sevier/Smoky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.785, -83.524 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three inches of snow was reported in Wears Valley.

Heavy Snow, Blount/Smoky Mountains

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Blount/Smoky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.687, -83.925 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Six inches of snow was reported at GraceHill Bed and Breakfast at 2500 feet elevation.

Heavy Snow, Cocke/Smoky Mountains

When
March 5, 11:00 PM EST to March 6, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Cocke/Smoky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
35.925, -83.121 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two inches of snow was reported in Parrottsville.

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, March 2013

Sources

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: 433785, 433786, 433787, 433788, 433789, 433790, 433791, 433792, 433799, 433803, 433805.