A line of slow moving showers and thunderstorms moved southward out of Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours on May 26. A few reports of wind damage and flash flooding were received.
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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 OHX wrote it up.
A line of slow moving showers and thunderstorms moved southward out of Kentucky during the afternoon and evening hours on May 26. A few reports of wind damage and flash flooding were received.
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 May 26, 2:19 PM CST, 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 319 PM CDT THU MAY 26 2016 .DISCUSSION... late afternoon...For the current afternoon period, will increase pops across the north, per current convection. Outflow boundaries indicated on radar across the far northern cwa. Boundaries will likely serve as a trigger for additional late afternoon development across the north. Tonight and beyond, convection has continued today across much of western KY today along a southward moving sfc trough. Upper ridge axis is located just east of the eastern most portion of the convection. favorable instability resides across Middle TN to promote the development and continuation of scattered thunderstorms across mainly northern and northwestern areas into this evening. However, convective momentum will be the primary driving factor. Thus, should see a dissipation in activity by early to mid evening. Nevertheless, cape values are on the high side and may have to watch for a few strong storms into early this evening...mainly across northern and northwestern areas. Additionally, pockets of heavy rainfall, where the stronger storms reside, will be possible north of I-40. On Friday, instabilities will back off a bit. Still seeing a dissipating 18z cap and with the upper ridging pulling off to our east, low pops for convection will continue. It does look like a better chance of showers and tstms on Saturday as an upper shortwave axis interacts with some deepening moisture. Will go ahead and up pops into the 30-50 percent range, greatest chances west. The pattern will then trend toward a little more upper and mid level ridging on Sunday. Will go ahead and adhere to the isc suggestion and go dry. For the near term temps, heights are generally on the elevated side and will go with above normal temps. West of Plateau, highs mid to upper 80s, lows mid to upper 60s. In the ext fcst, a continuation of favorable cape to cap ratios is expected through the period. Any considerable shortwave and/or frontal boundary interaction will hold off until mid week. Thus, will include only 20 pops for early next week but values will climb higher by Wednesday and Thursday. Both the euro and gfs solutions send a weak boundary eastward across the area on Thursday. Gfs looks a little more pronounce with the upper troughing. For the ext temps, values looking rather steady state. 850 mb temps will continue around 16c or so. Values should continue to run about 5 to 6 degrees above normal. High temps should drop off a degree or two by the tail end of the extended. && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF DISCUSSION. Convective complex to the north will push south into CKV and possibly BNA by 19z and 20z, respectively. A gust front associated with the initial line of thunderstorms may produce 25-30kt winds, mainly at CKV. MVFR ceilings and MVFR/brief IFR visibilities will accompany the storms. Behind the main line, may have rain showers with embedded or vicinity thunderstorms and a southeasterly wind for a couple of hours, and then will back off to VCSH thereafter. Left CSV dry for now. Overnight, not expecting much or any precipitation, but think MVFR visibilities are possibly at CKV and CSV. Plan to update CKV's TAF and include this mention later. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Nashville 67 88 67 84 65 / 20 20 20 40 20 Clarksville 66 86 66 81 64 / 30 30 30 50 10 Crossville 63 81 64 79 60 / 20 20 20 40 20 Columbia 66 86 67 83 64 / 20 20 20 40 10 Lawrenceburg 67 87 67 84 63 / 10 20 20 40 10 Waverly 66 85 66 80 65 / 30 20 30 50 10 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && DISCUSSION......21 AVIATION........17
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 110 PM CDT THU MAY 26 2016 TNZ005>011-023>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-271815- STEWART-MONTGOMERY-ROBERTSON-SUMNER-MACON-CLAY-PICKETT-HOUSTON- HUMPHREYS-DICKSON-CHEATHAM-DAVIDSON-WILSON-TROUSDALE-SMITH- JACKSON-PUTNAM-OVERTON-FENTRESS-PERRY-HICKMAN-LEWIS-WILLIAMSON- MAURY-MARSHALL-RUTHERFORD-CANNON-DE KALB-WHITE-CUMBERLAND-BEDFORD- COFFEE-WARREN-GRUNDY-VAN BUREN-WAYNE-LAWRENCE-GILES- 110 PM CDT THU MAY 26 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND LAST THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS...WITH THE MOST COVERAGE NEAREST THE KENTUCKY/TENNESSEE BORDER. ANY STORMS THAT FORM WILL PRODUCE TORRENTIAL RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. MINOR FLASH FLOODING MAY BECOME A THREAT IF THUNDERSTORMS TRAIN OVER THE SAME AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH A GREATER CHANCE ON SATURDAY. A FEW STORMS ON SATURDAY COULD BE STRONG WITH GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREATS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT INSTANCES OF HEAVY RAIN OR MINOR FLOODING...AS WELL AS HAIL OR HIGH WINDS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NASHVILLE. AL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
310 PM CDT THU MAY 26 2016
TNZ007-262100-
ROBERTSON TN-
310 PM CDT THU MAY 26 2016
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ROBERTSON COUNTY UNTIL 400 PM
CDT...
AT 309 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 9
MILES SOUTHEAST OF GUTHRIE...OR 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD...
MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE
WITH THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
SPRINGFIELD...WHITE HOUSE...CROSS PLAINS...ORLINDA...ADAMS...
CEDAR HILL AND BLACK JACK.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL MAY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE
YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.
CONTINUOUS 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 3663 8656 3653 8664 3651 8664 3648 8666
3647 8708 3662 8713 3664 8711 3665 8659
TIME...MOT...LOC 2009Z 253DEG 11KT 3660 8702
ALThe Nashville radar (KOHX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:31 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter 2 miles southwest of Kingston Springs reported hail of mostly 1/2 inch size, but a few hailstones were up to penny size.
One tree was blown down onto an uninhabited residence around 9 miles WNW of Tennessee Ridge.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across Houston County, with one tree down onto a house.
Flash flooding affected portions of western Sumner County, especially the Millersville and Portland areas. At least one road was flooded in Millersville. Numerous roads were flooded in Portland, including McGlothlin Street and Cody Street, and one water rescue was conducted from a stalled vehicle. No significant damage was reported.
Flash flooding affected several parts of Robertson County. The Ridgetop Park area and Lake Road in Greenbrier were flooded, as well as Hoods Branch and the Oak Pointe Subdivision in Coopertown. Several roads and low lying areas of Springfield were also flooded, including Sandy Springs Road, Jarrett Drive, New Chapel Road, Memorial Blvd. and Central Avenue. Parts of Highway 49 East and Highway 52 in Orlinda were flooded and impassable, and the Orlinda Volunteer Fire Station had 8 inches of water inside the building.
A tSpotter Twitter report and photos indicated a Shell gas station in White Bluff suffered significant damage to the awning covering the gas pumps.
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, May 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: 628883, 628884, 628885, 628887, 628888, 628886.