A strong low pressure system moved northeast out of the Lower Mississippi Valley through the Upper Ohio Valley dragging a cold front through the Southern Appalachians. The strong wind field associated with the deep low pressure system generated numerous downed trees across the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 MRX wrote it up.
A strong low pressure system moved northeast out of the Lower Mississippi Valley through the Upper Ohio Valley dragging a cold front through the Southern Appalachians. The strong wind field associated with the deep low pressure system generated numerous downed trees across the region. Some convective gusts also developed with a few thunderstorms during the event.
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 Feb 24, 12:46 AM EST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
1246 AM EST WED FEB 24 2016
.AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS CURRENTLY AT KTYS AND KTRI DUE TO DOWNSLOPE FLOW.
FURTHER TO THE SOUTH AT KCHA...SOUTHERLY WINDS ARE DOMINANT WITH
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN MOVING IN FROM THE SOUTH. PRECIPITATION WILL
BE HEAVY ENOUGH DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TO REDUCE VISIBILITIES
DOWN TO IFR AT TIMES. THE LOW LEVEL JET JUST OFF THE SURFACE IS
AROUND 50-60 KTS AND HAVE INCLUDED LLWS IN THE TAFS FOR THE
REMAINDER OF THE OVERNIGHT. A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER WILL BE
POSSIBLE LATE THIS MORNING AS SCATTERED STORMS DEVELOP. A DRY- SLOT
WILL WORK INTO THE AREA LATE IN THE TAFS WITH MORE SCATTERED
PRECIPITATION.
&&
.MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NC...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR CHEROKEE-CLAY.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR CHEROKEE-CLAY.
TN...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR BLOUNT SMOKY
MOUNTAINS-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-EAST POLK-JOHNSON-MCMINN-NW
BLOUNT-NORTH SEVIER-NORTHWEST CARTER-NORTHWEST COCKE-
NORTHWEST GREENE-NORTHWEST MONROE-SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS-
SOUTHEAST CARTER-SOUTHEAST GREENE-SOUTHEAST MONROE-UNICOI-
WASHINGTON TN.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR BRADLEY-EAST POLK-
HAMILTON-MARION-WEST POLK.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM EST /3 AM CST/ EARLY THIS MORNING TO 7
PM EST /6 PM CST/ THIS EVENING FOR ANDERSON-BLEDSOE-BRADLEY-
CAMPBELL-CLAIBORNE-GRAINGER-HAMBLEN-HAMILTON-HANCOCK-
HAWKINS-JEFFERSON-KNOX-LOUDON-MARION-MEIGS-MORGAN-RHEA-
ROANE-SCOTT TN-SEQUATCHIE-SULLIVAN-UNION-WEST POLK.
VA...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR RUSSELL-
WASHINGTON.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 AM EARLY THIS MORNING TO 7 PM EST THIS
EVENING FOR LEE-SCOTT-WISE.
&&
MAHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 403 PM EST TUE FEB 23 2016 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-242115- 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- 403 PM EST TUE FEB 23 2016 /303 PM CST TUE FEB 23 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... ...HEAVY RAINS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN FAR SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE INTO SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW... ...HIGH WINDS FOR THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW...WITH GUSTY WINDS ALSO ACROSS THE VALLEY... LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE AREA...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS OF EAST TENNESSEE. SOUTHERLY WINDS OF 30 TO 50 MPH WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH ARE ANTICIPATED. GUSTY WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH. ADDITIONALLY...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING...THEN MOVE QUICKLY NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REST OF THE AREA DURING THE DAY. STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS...WITH LOCALIZED DAMAGING WINDS ARE POSSIBLE. THERE IS A LOW CHANCE OF AN ISOLATED TORNADO ACROSS SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS WITH LOCALIZED FLOODING POSSIBLE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PLATEAU..SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...WHERE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT...COLDER AIR WILL BE MOVING INTO THE REGION...CHANGING RAIN SHOWERS TO SNOW SHOWERS. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SOME SNOW ACCUMULATIONS MAINLY IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS AS WELL AS NORTHEAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AND INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.
The Northeast Alabama radar (KHTX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:30 UTC.
10 high wind, 8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were reported down across the county.
A 78 mph wind gust was measured at the Camp Creek wind tower.
A few power lines were reported down one mile southwest of Sweetwater.
Several trees were reported down in the vicinity of Greenback.
A tree fell on a church in Farragut due to strong thunderstorm winds.
A barn/storage structure were damaged.
Several trees were reported down.
Several power lines and trees were reported down along Lee Road.
A few trees and power lines were reported down in the northern part of Knox County.
A barn was damaged along Little Valley Road.
A gust to 59 mph was recorded four miles west southwest of Roan Mountain.
Trees were reported down countywide.
A few trees were reported down in Gray. One of the trees fell onto a home.
A few trees and power lines were reported down.
A few trees were reported down across the county.
Multiple trees were reported down across the county. Minor structural damage was reported at a church in Flag Pond.
Trees and power lines were reported down across the county.
Several trees and power lines were reported down across the county resulting in several road closures.
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, February 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: 617464, 617465, 617419, 617420, 617421, 617423, 617424, 617425, 617427, 617428, 617483, 617466, 617467, 617468, 617469, 617470, 617471, 617472.