Scattered severe thunderstorms developed late in the afternoon over Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee ahead of a gust front producing some wind damage across the region.
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 MRX wrote it up.
Scattered severe thunderstorms developed late in the afternoon over Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee ahead of a gust front producing some wind damage across the region.
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 4, 2:20 PM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Morristown TN 320 PM EDT MON JUL 4 2016 .SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT AND TUESDAY)... SHOWERS AND STORMS ACROSS SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA THIS MORNING ENDED LATE THIS MORNING AS SHORTWAVE MOVED EAST OUT OF VIRGINIA. THE HOT AND HUMID AIR MASS WITH HIGH CAPE AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES CONTINUES THIS AFTERNOON. LOW PRESSURE OVER MO WILL WEAKEN AND WEAK UPPER TROUGH WILL SAG A LITTLE FARTHER SOUTH INTO THE EASTERN STATES TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. A COMPLEX OF STORMS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL KY WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST INTO THE NORTHEAST PART OF TN AND SW VA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH SOME STORMS STRONG TO SEVERE AS BOWING OF STORMS IS POSSIBLE. ENHANCED UPPER LEVEL FORCING AND STRONG W-SW FLOW AHEAD OF THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND SOME HEAVY RAINFALL WITH LOCALIZED FLOODING. AN ISOLATED TORNADO THREAT ALSO POSSIBLE ALONG THE TN/KY BORDER AND INTO SOUTHWEST VA. LATER TONIGHT MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH AS STRONG SHORTWAVE MOVES THROUGH BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND AROUND 12Z. WILL KEEP POPS HIGH LATER TONIGHT AND TUESDAY AS CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY CONTINUES. PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY DECREASE FROM WEST TO EAST IN THE AFTERNOON TUESDAY. MID AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WERE VERY WARM AGAIN TODAY IN THE UPPER 80S TO MID 90S. TUESDAY SHOULD BE SEVERAL DEGREES COOLER WITH MUCH MORE CLOUD COVER AND WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION. MOSTLY IN THE 80S TO NEAR 90 AT CHATTANOOGA. RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH TUESDAY COULD AVERAGE ONE HALF TO ONE INCH BUT A FEW SPOTS MAY GET HIGHER AMOUNTS. .LONG TERM...(TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)... WEAK UPPER-TROUGH AND SHORTAVES PUSH SOUTH FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL MAINTAIN SOME DECENT CHANCES FOR MORE WIDESPREAD SCATTERED SHOWERS AND EACH DAY THROUGH MOST OF THE REST OF THE WORK WEEK. THE MORE FAVORED AREAS WILL BE ACROSS SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA AND NORTHEAST TENNESSEE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...THOUGH GIVEN THE DIFFUSE NATURE OF THESE BOUNDARIES/BOUNDARY...THE DIFFERENCES MAY BE FAIRLY SUBTLE FROM THE REST OF THE REGION. AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE AXIS WILL THEN BEGIN TO NUDGE IT'S WAY INTO THE FORECAST AREA ON FRIDAY...HELPING TO CREATE A SLIGHTLY DRIER FORECAST FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEKEND. THAT FAR OUT...THERE ARE SUBTLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MODELS WHICH WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON CLOUD COVER...TEMPS...AND POPS. HAVE GONE SLIGHTLY CONSERVATIVE GIVEN THE OVERLY WET TRENDS IN THE MODELS OF LATE...BUT STILL HAVE 20-40 POPS EACH DAY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY AND MOISTURE UNDERNEATH THE RIDGE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE Dependent ON COVERAGE AND SKY COVER...BUT NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL IN THE UPPER 80S TO MID 90S. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Chattanooga Airport, TN 74 90 73 92 / 60 60 40 50 Knoxville McGhee Tyson Airport, TN 73 86 72 89 / 60 60 40 50 Oak Ridge, TN 72 86 72 89 / 70 60 30 50 Tri Cities Airport, TN 69 85 70 86 / 60 60 50 40 && .MRX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NC...None. TN...None. VA...None. && TD/AMP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 331 PM EDT MON JUL 4 2016 NCZ060-061-TNZ012>018-035>047-067>074-081>087-098>102-VAZ001-002- 005-006-008-051930- 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- 331 PM EDT MON JUL 4 2016 /231 PM CDT MON JUL 4 2016/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA...EAST TENNESSEE AND SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE...WITH DAMAGING WINDS THE PRIMARY THREAT. VERY HEAVY RAINS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...WHICH MAY LEAD TO PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AND QUICK RISES ON SMALLER CREEKS AND STREAMS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT FOR THE FAR NORTHERN CUMBERLAND PLATEAU AND THE CUMBERLAND MOUNTAINS OF EAST TENNESSEE AND PART OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA UNTIL 9 PM EDT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY... SCATTERED STRONG TO MARGINALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAINLY EAST OF INTERSTATE 81 AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40...WITH DAMAGING WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND MINOR FLOODING BEING THE PRIMARY RISKS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED...BUT ANY REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER...OR RAINFALL REPORTS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. TD/AMP
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
243 PM EDT MON JUL 4 2016
TNZ085>087-100>102-041945-
BRADLEY-SOUTHEAST MONROE-NORTHWEST MONROE-WEST POLK-EAST POLK-MCMINN-
243 PM EDT MON JUL 4 2016
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT POLK...SOUTHEASTERN BRADLEY...
SOUTHEASTERN MCMINN AND SOUTHWESTERN MONROE COUNTIES...
AT 242 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR
BENTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
MADISONVILLE...BENTON...ETOWAH...WILDWOOD LAKE...ENGLEWOOD...
TELLICO PLAINS...COKER CREEK...FLINT SPRINGS...ARCHVILLE...
PARKSVILLE...GAP SPRINGS...MOUNT VERNON...BULLET CREEK...
HIWASSEE OCOEE S.P....DENTVILLE...CONASAUGA...
RED CLAY S.P. AND RELIANCE.
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM.
LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE
SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE.
LAT...LON 3499 8498 3555 8441 3534 8410 3526 8421
3527 8423 3522 8429 3521 8429 3499 8462
TIME...MOT...LOC 1842Z 228DEG 37KT 3510 8470
AMP.23SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN 432 PM EDT MON JUL 4 2016 TNZ038-039-070-042115- JEFFERSON TN-HAMBLEN TN-GRAINGER TN- 432 PM EDT MON JUL 4 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR CENTRAL GRAINGER...WESTERN HAMBLEN AND NORTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES UNTIL 515 PM EDT... AT 432 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR NEW MARKET...OR NEAR JEFFERSON CITY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... MORRISTOWN...JEFFERSON CITY...RUTLEDGE...BEAN STATION...NEW MARKET... BLAINE...BUFFALO SPRINGS...ALPHA...JOPPA... THORN HILL AND PANTHER CREEK S.P.. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. && LAT...LON 3602 8357 3618 8370 3640 8340 3619 8318 TIME...MOT...LOC 2032Z 235DEG 29KT 3615 8354 JW
The Knoxville radar (KMRX), 11 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:55 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were reported down at the intersection of South Cumberland Street and Algonquin Drive, at the intersection of Dover and Carroll Road in Morristown. Another tree was reported down in Talbott at the intersection fo Allen and Cody Road.
A 52 knot wind gust was recorded on a personal weather station.
One tree was reported down four miles west northwest of Alpha.
Several trees were reported down across the county.
A few trees were reported down in the Bloomingdale area near Kingsport.
Power lines were reported down in Blountville.
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, July 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: 634983, 634985, 634988, 634989, 634990, 634991.