A strong cold front moved through Middle Tennessee during the evening hours on December 17 into the early morning hours on December 18, with a line of strong to severe thunderstorms developing along and ahead of the front. Numerous reports of wind damage were received across the area.
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 OHX wrote it up.
A strong cold front moved through Middle Tennessee during the evening hours on December 17 into the early morning hours on December 18, with a line of strong to severe thunderstorms developing along and ahead of the front. Numerous reports of wind damage were received across the 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 Nashville, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 17, 5:23 PM CST, 2 hours 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 523 PM CST Sat Dec 17 2016 .UPDATE... FOR 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... Busy shift this morning dealing with winter weather issues and now tornado watch with just so much time to look at stuff. Tornado watch issued for northern and western counties runs until 9 pm cst. Showers are continuing to develop across western Kentucky down into western Tennessee this afternoon and expect activity that is trying to develop down in Mississippi to begin working this way and become more numerous as it works up into western and Middle Tennessee as we go through the afternoon and into the evening. H-triple-R has a line of strong convection developing by 22z along the Ohio River down into northeastern Arkansas and it will move eastward and jell with the convection here in Middle Tennessee producing locally heavy rainfall with a few storms producing damaging winds first over western areas and then gradually progress eastward tonight ahead of the cold front. Cold front will move into far northwest Middle Tennessee around 9 pm followed by sharply colder temperatures and progress eastward and into the Nashville area by midnight and onto the plateau by daybreak. In behind the front in addition to the sharply colder temperatures look for a change over to freezing rain in northwest Middle Tennessee from midnight to 6 am Sunday and over eastern and southern areas Sunday morning. Glaze accumulation most areas less than one tenth of an inch. Believe most if not all precip will pull off plateau late Sunday afternoon. Temps go into deep freeze tonight into first of next week before moderating later on in the work week. && .AVIATION... 00Z TAF DISCUSSION. Mainly MVFR conditions across Middle TN terminals at forecast time with KCSV the only exception. LIFR conditions will continue for the next several hours until the TS reach their spot, then there will likely be a slight improvement. KBNA/KCKV can expect lowering flight categories over the next couple of hours as TS starts to move into their areas. There will be a huge temperatures drop off behind the fropa and after the wind shift. This will lead to a mix of fzra/pl for a couple of hours at each terminals. A light glazing is possible at each terminal, but impacts should be minimal. Look for flight conditions to improve back to at least MVFR by the end of this cycle. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 6 AM to noon CST Sunday FOR Bedford- Cannon-Clay-Coffee-Cumberland-De Kalb-Fentress-Giles-Grundy- Jackson-Lawrence-Marshall-Overton-Pickett-Putnam-Smith-Van Buren- Warren-White. Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 6 AM CST Sunday FOR Cheatham-Davidson-Dickson-Hickman-Houston-Humphreys-Lewis- Macon-Maury-Montgomery-Perry-Robertson-Rutherford-Stewart-Sumner- Trousdale-Wayne-Williamson-Wilson. && DISCUSSION......01/Boyd AVIATION........Unger
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 738 PM CST SAT DEC 17 2016 TNZ005>010-023>029-056>060-062-093-190145- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-HOUSTON-HUMPHREYS- DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS- WILLIAMSON-MAURY-RUTHERFORD-WAYNE- 738 PM CST SAT DEC 17 2016 .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST FOR NORTHWEST HALF OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH 6 AM SUNDAY. SOME STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING. MAIN CONCERNS WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED HAIL OR A TORNADO CANNOT TOTALLY BE RULED OUT. LATE TONIGHT...A WINTRY MIX OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND LIGHT SLEET...EVENTUALLY TURNING OVER TO LIGHT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED. ALTHOUGH NO SLEET OR SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED...ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A WINTRY MIX OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND LIGHT SLEET...EVENTUALLY TURNING OVER TO LIGHT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON SUNDAY. ALTHOUGH LITTLE IF ANY ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED...TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND ONE TENTH OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE. ONCE THE SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN MOVE OUT...LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE. A DUSTING OF SNOW MAY OCCUR IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...ON ROOF TOPS...AND ELEVATED COLD SURFACES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. TNZ011-030>034-061-063>066-075-077>080-094-095-190145- PICKETT-SMITH-JACKSON-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-MARSHALL-CANNON- DE KALB-WHITE-CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD-COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN- LAWRENCE-GILES- 738 PM CST SAT DEC 17 2016 .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM CST FOR THE NORTHWEST HALF OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE. SOME STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS EVENING. MAIN CONCERNS WITH SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS...ALTHOUGH ISOLATED HAIL OR A TORNADO CANNOT TOTALLY BE RULED OUT. LATE TONIGHT...A WINTRY MIX OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND LIGHT SLEET...EVENTUALLY TURNING OVER TO LIGHT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED. ALTHOUGH NO SLEET OR SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS ARE ANTICIPATED...ICE ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM THROUGH NOON SUNDAY. A WINTRY MIX OF LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND LIGHT SLEET...EVENTUALLY TURNING OVER TO LIGHT SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED ACROSS MIDDLE TENNESSEE DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON SUNDAY. ALTHOUGH LITTLE IF ANY ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET ARE EXPECTED...TOTAL ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND ONE TENTH OF AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE. ONCE THE SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN MOVE OUT...LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE. A DUSTING OF SNOW MAY OCCUR IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...ON ROOF TOPS...AND ELEVATED COLD SURFACES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. SPOTTER REPORTING CRITERIA... TORNADO FUNNEL CLOUD FLOODING HAIL >= 1/2 INCH WINDS > 50 MPH (MEASURED) STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TREES OR POWER LINES DOWN ICE ACCUMULATIONS ON ROADS/SURFACES >=0.10 SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS >= 1/2 INCH 55
The Ft Campbell radar (KHPX), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:55 UTC.
40 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A tree was blown down in the yard of a home on Dogwood Drive.
Tree reportedly blown down in northern Houston County.
Tree reportedly blown down in southern Stewart County. Estimated location.
Power line down on Proctor Ct at Proctor Dr.
Roof damage reported in Cedar Hill.
Tspotter reported a tree blown down on Highway 47 just outside Charlotte city limits. Another tree was blown down on Highway 48 north near the same area.
Three large trees were blown down on Franklin Road south of Tyne Road.
Tspotter photo showed a tree uprooted in the backyard of a home on the Indian Lake Peninsula in Hendersonville.
A tree was blown down on a car with occupants inside on Saundersville Road. Power lines were down as well.
Tree blocking the roadway at Grandview Drive and Indian Lake in Green Hill.
A tree was blown down on Weather Station Road at the entrance of the NWS office. Another tree was blown down at Needmore Road and Saundersville Road.
Trees were blocking the roadway at 3960 Saundersville Ferry Rd and 2883 Saundersville Ferry Rd in Mount Juliet.
A tree fell on a vehicle at 337 Vanderbilt Road in Mount Juliet.
Telephone lines down on Idlewood Drive.
A tin roof was blown off a barn at 102 Starr Drive in Mount Juliet.
A Tspotter report and photos showed the Cedar Creek Marina Dock was damaged and several trees were blown down nearby.
A tree was blown down onto Benders Ferry Road at Crestview Drive.
A tree was blown down onto a house at 617 Westview Drive in the Laguardo area.
A NWS storm survey found an intense 1/4 mile wide by 1/2 mile long microburst struck Laguardo. One home was severely damaged by a fallen tree on Northview Circle. Another home lost most of its west facing shingles on Dana Drive which were blown up to 150 yards eastward. A third home was damaged by a fallen tree on Westview Drive. A boat dock on Dana Drive was blown 130 yards to the northeast. Dozens of large trees were snapped or uprooted from Dana Drive and Northview Circle to near Highway 109. Winds were estimated up to 80 mph.
Tspotter photo showed a tree down across Creekside Crossing in Brentwood. Time was estimated based on radar.
Significant wind damage was reported across northern Smith County. A roof was ripped off a barn on Hiwassee Road. In Dixon Springs, a playhouse was destroyed, a house had minor siding damage, and several trees were blown down. In Riddleton on Wilburn Hollow Road, a barn was blown down, a garage was heavily damaged, windows were blown out of a house, and numerous trees were blown down.
A small barn was blown in the road and a large barn had tin removed from the roof in the Pleasant Shade community on Sloan Branch Road.
Several trees were blown down, sheet metal torn off a house, and a shed knocked over on Dog Branch Road in Pleasant Shade.
A tree was blown down on Highway 52 just east of the Macon County Line. A car ran into the tree on the roadway.
Power lines and possibly poles down on Pine Lick Road in the Whitleyville area.
Powerlines were down on Grandaddy Road.
Tspotter reported a tree was blown down across Highway 70. A car drove into the tree and wrecked.
Trees were blown down along the 500 block of Main Street in Loretto.
Six inch diameter limbs were blown down on Long Branch Road.
Trees were blown down on power lines along Mahr Avenue.
Power lines and possibly power poles down on McCoinsville Road.
A tree fell through the roof at Cherry Tree Apartments. 2 people were displaced.
Several trees and power lines down with widespread power outages in the Dodson Branch area.
Trees were blown down and blocking the road on Hillham Highway near Flat Creek Bridge. There was also roof damage in the same area due to trees down.
Quarter size hail fell on Obey River Bridge in Byrdstown.
Trees were blown down on Highway 41A and Pinkston Road.
Trees were blown down on Highway 127 near Pall Mall.
Power lines were blown down on Delk Creek Road near Pall Mall.
Trees were blown down in Putnam County.
A power line was blown down on North Jackson Street.
Tspotter reported and a photo showed a tree down on power lines and pickup truck on East Lincoln Street near Cobb Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, December 2016
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: 671550, 671551, 671552, 671553, 671554, 671557, 671560, 671562, 671571, 671566, 671569, 671575, 671578, 671584, 671598, 671604, 671605, 671606, 673044, 671607, 671608, 671609, 671610, 671621, 671623, 671626, 671629, 671632, 671638, 671636, 671644, 671645, 671648, 671652, 671655, 671654, 671657, 671676, 671679, 671681, and more.