Severe thunderstorms formed in a moist and moderately to strongly unstable air mass situated on the periphery of a large Upper Level High Pressure System over the Ohio Valley. The storms produced mostly wind damage.
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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.
Severe thunderstorms formed in a moist and moderately to strongly unstable air mass situated on the periphery of a large Upper Level High Pressure System over the Ohio Valley. The storms produced mostly wind damage. However, training convective cells produced some major flash flooding across the Tri-Cities area.
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 Jul 17, 1:35 PM EST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 235 PM EDT WED JUL 17 2013 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT)... VERY LITTLE CHANGE IN THE OVERALL WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED IN THE SHORT TERM AS A DEEP RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN OVER THE OHIO AND TN VALLEY REGIONS. CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON WILL DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET WITH NO MID/UPPER LEVEL FORCING FOR LIFT OVERNIGHT. PATCHY VALLEY FOG MAY DEVELOP...ESPECIALLY NEAR BODIES OF WATER OR LOCATIONS THAT SAW RAIN THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT MUCH THE SAME TOMORROW...WITH AFTERNOON CONVECTION DEVELOPING IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND SLOWLY DRIFTING INTO THE VALLEY. WHILE A FEW STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG...NO SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED. WILL FOLLOW PERSISTENCE FOR TEMPERATURES...WITH LOWS IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S BOTH NIGHTS...AND HIGHS TOMORROW IN THE UPPER 80S LOWER 90S IN MOST SPOTS. .LONG TERM (FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... THE UPPER-RIDGE BEGINS TO BREAK DOWN ON FRIDAY AS IT PUSHES EAST AND A BROAD LONGWAVE TROUGH MOVES ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION. THIS WILL DRIVE A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT INTO THE OHIO VALLEY LATE FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY...AND EVENTUALLY INTO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS AND TENNESSEE VALLEY LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. MODELS ARE ALSO INDICATING THE POTENTIAL FOR A PLUME OF GULF MOISTURE TO PUSH NORTHWARD INTO THE REGION THIS WEEKEND...WHICH COULD LEAD TO SOME SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCES FOR DIURNAL CONVECTION ON SATURDAY. THEREAFTER...POPS INCREASE TO LIKELY SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS THE FRONT SAGS SOUTH INTO THE AREA. THOUGH NOTHING WIDESPREAD IS EXPECTED...HIGH INSTABILITY AND SOME MODERATE SHEAR WILL ALLOW FOR SOME STORM ORGANIZATION AND FOR SOME STORMS TO BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE...BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING WINDS...HAIL AND ESPECIALLY LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. THE FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH AND OUT OF THE REGION SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY...BUT THE SLOW MOVING UPPER-TROUGH OVER THE GREAT LAKES WILL ALLOW FOR A FEW SHORTWAVES TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL YIELD A REASONABLE CHANCE FOR SCATTERED CONVECTION EACH DAY AND SOME COOLER TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S GIVEN THE ADDITIONAL CLOUD COVER EXPECTED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... CHATTANOOGA AIRPORT, TN 72 93 72 92 72 / 20 30 10 30 20 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AIRPORT, TN 71 92 72 90 72 / 20 20 10 30 20 OAK RIDGE, TN 71 92 71 89 72 / 20 20 10 30 20 TRI CITIES AIRPORT, TN 68 91 68 87 68 / 30 20 20 30 30 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...NONE. TN...NONE. VA...NONE. && DGS/AMP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 349 AM EDT WED JUL 17 2013 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-180800- 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- 349 AM EDT WED JUL 17 2013 /249 AM CDT WED JUL 17 2013/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... A WEAK COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA THIS WEEKEND...INCREASING THE CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE......BRINGING THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS WEEKEND.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 326 PM EDT WED JUL 17 2013 TNZ015-016-VAZ005-172015- HANCOCK TN-HAWKINS TN-SCOTT VA- 326 PM EDT WED JUL 17 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SCOTT...HAWKINS AND HANCOCK COUNTIES UNTIL 415 PM EDT... AT 324 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES NORTH OF SURGOINSVILLE...OR 11 MILES WEST OF GATE CITY...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 15 MPH. HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF DIMES OR PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...SURGOINSVILLE... OKOLONA AND KEPLER. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY BUILDING. DGS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 438 PM EDT WED JUL 17 2013 VAZ002-005-172130- SCOTT VA-WISE VA- 438 PM EDT WED JUL 17 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CITY OF NORTON...WISE AND SCOTT COUNTIES UNTIL 530 PM EDT... AT 430 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES EAST OF WISE...MOVING SOUTHWEST AT 10 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...WISE...NORTON AND COEBURN. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH PER HOUR...MAY OCCUR WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS...AND POSSIBLE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. TURN AROUND! DON'T DROWN!
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
441 PM EDT WED JUL 17 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0427 PM HAIL 4 SSE BRISTOL TN 36.51N 82.17W
07/17/2013 E1.00 INCH SULLIVAN TN TRAINED SPOTTER
ONE INCH HAIL REPORTED AT THE INTERSECTION OF WEAVER PIKE
AND OLD JONESBORO RD.
&&SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 513 PM EDT WED JUL 17 2013 TNZ098-172200- MARION TN- 413 PM CDT WED JUL 17 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MARION COUNTY UNTIL 500 PM CDT... AT 408 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF SOUTH PITTSBURG...OR 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF BRIDGEPORT...MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH. PEA SIZE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...ORME. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH PER HOUR...MAY OCCUR WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. MOTORISTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS...AND POSSIBLE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS. DO NOT DRIVE THROUGH WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. TURN AROUND! DON'T DROWN!
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 76 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:12 UTC.
2 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were reported down two miles east northeast of Pennington Gap.
Water flowing over a bridge and one private road washed out.
Flooding observed across Gate City and Speers Ferry with some road closures.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Virginia in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Virginia, July 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: 455021, 467076, 467079.