A line of strong to marginally severe thunderstorms moved across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon hours on May 4. A few reports of large hail and wind damage were received, along with far more numerous reports of pea to dime size hail and wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph across Montgomery, Robertson, Sumner, Wilson, Smith, Jackson, Pickett, Fentress, Putnam, DeKalb, Coffee, and Bedford Counties.
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 line of strong to marginally severe thunderstorms moved across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon hours on May 4. A few reports of large hail and wind damage were received, along with far more numerous reports of pea to dime size hail and wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph across Montgomery, Robertson, Sumner, Wilson, Smith, Jackson, Pickett, Fentress, Putnam, DeKalb, Coffee, and Bedford Counties. One man was killed in the Milton area of northeast Rutherford County when a tree was blown down onto him while he was riding an ATV.
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 4, 1:23 PM CST, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 223 PM CDT WED MAY 4 2016 .DISCUSSION... UPPER TROUGH SHARPENING OVER THE MID WEST THIS AFTERNOON WITH RATHER VIGOROUS SHORT WAVE WORKING DOWN BACKSIDE AND WILL MOVE THROUGH MIDDLE TENNESSEE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND DEVELOP A CLOSED LOW ACROSS OUR AREA BY TONIGHT. AM SEEING SHOWER ACTIVITY INCREASING IN COVERAGE AT 1 PM CDT IN A BAND ACROSS NORTHERN MIDDLE TENNESSEE. THIS ACTIVTIY WILL CONTINUE TO WORK SOUTHEASTWARD AND EXPECT TO SEE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP AS AFTERNOON SUN HEATS UP LOWER TROPOSPHERE STEEPENING LAPSE RATES. COULD SEE A SMALL HAILER OR TWO THIS AFTERNOON AS TEMPS ALOFT ARE COLDER THAN -20 CELSIUS AT 500 MBARS WITH MUCAPES AROUND 500 JOULES PER KILOGRAM. SHOULD SEE SHOWER/TSTRMS END EARLY THIS EVENING WEST OF PLATEAU BUT WILL KEEP A CHANCE GOING ALONG THE PLATEAU THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT AS COLD POOL WORKS ACROSS THAT AREA. CLOSED LOW WILL MOVE EAST OF MID STATE ON THURSDAY BUT STILL COULD SEE SCATTERED SHOWERS ON BACKSIDE OVER THE EAST HALF OF THE MID STATE DURING THE DAY ESPECIALLY ALONG THE PLATEAU. KEPT A SMALL CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE UPPER CUMBERLAND FOR THURSDAY NIGHT THEN DRY FOR ALL OF THE MID STATE ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY BUT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RETURN NORTHEAST MIDDLE TENNESSEE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVES DOWN FROM THE NORTH BEFORE RETREATING AS A WARM FRONT SUNDAY NIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE IN WARM SECTOR ON MONDAY. CENTRAL PLAINS CYCLONE UNDERGOES CYCLOGENSIS DURING THE DAY MONDAY WHILE MOVING THIS WAY SO EXPECT TO SEE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES RAMP UP MONDAY NIGHT OVER THE WEST AND ACROSS ALL OF THE MID STATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. AS FOR TEMPS...LOWS TONIGHT DOWN IN THE LOW 40S IN THE UPPER CUMBERLAND TO MIDDLE 40S ELSEWHERE. HIGHS ON THURSDAY MIDDLE 50S ALONG THE PLATEAU TO MIDDLE 60S WEST OF THE PLATEAU. HIGHS THIS WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEK WILL BE IN THE LOWER 80S WITH UPPER 70S ALONG THE PLATEAU. LOWS NEXT WEEK WILL BE IN THE LOWER 60S. && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF DISCUSSION. VFR WITH PERIODS OF MVFR/IFR POSSIBLE DURING THE DAY. CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE IN FROM THE NORTHWEST AND FIRST IMPACT KCKV BY MID TO LATE MORNING...KBNA BY LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON...AND KCSV DURING THE AFTERNOON. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS AND EXIT THE REGION TOWARDS THE EAST EARLY IN THE EVENING. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD RETURN TO KCKV AND KBNA BY 00Z AND KCSV THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL BE STRONG TODAY OUT OF THE WEST THIS MORNING FOLLOWED BY NORTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON AROUND 10 TO 15 KNOTS AND GUSTS TO AROUND 20 KNOTS. WINDS SHOULD CALM DOWN A BIT THIS EVENING BUT LOOK TO REMAIN AROUND 5 TO 10 KNOTS OVERNIGHT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... NASHVILLE 46 63 47 73 53 / 20 10 0 0 0 CLARKSVILLE 44 62 46 71 53 / 10 10 0 0 0 CROSSVILLE 42 54 45 66 50 / 50 20 10 0 0 COLUMBIA 45 64 46 71 52 / 20 0 0 0 0 LAWRENCEBURG 44 63 46 72 51 / 20 0 0 0 0 WAVERLY 46 63 47 72 53 / 10 0 0 0 0 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION........HURLEY LONG TERM..................01/BOYD
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 500 AM CDT WED MAY 4 2016 TNZ005>011-023>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-051000- 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- 500 AM CDT WED MAY 4 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF MIDDLE TENNESSEE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN 348 PM CDT WED MAY 4 2016 TNZ006-007-026-042130- MONTGOMERY TN-ROBERTSON TN-CHEATHAM TN- 348 PM CDT WED MAY 4 2016 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR WESTERN ROBERTSON...NORTHWESTERN CHEATHAM AND EASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTIES UNTIL 430 PM CDT... AT 348 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM NEAR GUTHRIE TO CLARKSVILLE. MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH. DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS IN EXCESS OF 30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... CLARKSVILLE...SPRINGFIELD...COOPERTOWN...PLEASANT VIEW...ADAMS AND CEDAR HILL. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 10 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. && LAT...LON 3645 8681 3632 8727 3664 8748 3665 8692 TIME...MOT...LOC 2048Z 324DEG 35KT 3663 8709 3659 8731 HURLEY
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
405 PM CDT WED MAY 04 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0353 PM HAIL 6 NE CLARKSVILLE 36.62N 87.27W
05/04/2016 E0.70 INCH MONTGOMERY TN FACEBOOK
FACEBOOK VIDEO OF HAIL FALLING AT EXIT 1 IN
CLARKSVILLE.
&&
EVENT NUMBER OHX1600420
JACKSONSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
414 PM CDT WED MAY 4 2016
TNZ008>010-029>031-042200-
TROUSDALE TN-SUMNER TN-MACON TN-SMITH TN-JACKSON TN-CLAY TN-
414 PM CDT WED MAY 4 2016
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN CLAY...NORTHWESTERN
SMITH...NORTHWESTERN JACKSON...NORTHEASTERN SUMNER...MACON AND
CENTRAL TROUSDALE COUNTIES UNTIL 500 PM CDT...
AT 413 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
WESTMORELAND...OR 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF LAFAYETTE...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT
35 MPH.
DIME SIZE HAIL AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS
STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
LAFAYETTE...CELINA...HARTSVILLE...WESTMORELAND...RED BOILING SPRINGS...
DIXON SPRINGS...PLEASANT SHADE...BUGTUSSLE...BETHPAGE AND OAK GROVE.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY LEAD
TO PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.
&&
LAT...LON 3662 8574 3654 8549 3632 8604 3656 8647
3665 8628
TIME...MOT...LOC 2113Z 305DEG 32KT 3659 8619
ALPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
419 PM CDT WED MAY 04 2016
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 PM HAIL SPRINGFIELD 36.50N 86.88W
05/04/2016 E0.70 INCH ROBERTSON TN FACEBOOK
&&
EVENT NUMBER OHX1600421
JACKSONSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NASHVILLE TN
420 PM CDT WED MAY 4 2016
TNZ007-008-026-027-042145-
SUMNER TN-DAVIDSON TN-ROBERTSON TN-CHEATHAM TN-
420 PM CDT WED MAY 4 2016
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN ROBERTSON...CENTRAL
DAVIDSON...NORTHEASTERN CHEATHAM AND SOUTHWESTERN SUMNER COUNTIES
UNTIL 445 PM CDT...
AT 419 PM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR
GREENBRIER...OR NEAR SPRINGFIELD...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 45 MPH.
PEA AND DIME SIZE HAIL HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE SPRINGFIELD AREA
ALREADY. IN ADDITION...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH
THIS STORM.
LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
GALLATIN...SPRINGFIELD...NASHVILLE...MADISON...HENDERSONVILLE...
GOODLETTSVILLE...MILLERSVILLE...GREENBRIER...FOREST HILLS...COOPERTOWN...
BELLE MEADE...LAKEWOOD...RIDGETOP...JOELTON...OLD HICKORY...PLEASANT VIEW...
BERRY HILL...BEAMAN PARK AND WHITES CREEK.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
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 3631 8649 3630 8651 3628 8652 3629 8654
3632 8654 3632 8655 3631 8656 3628 8656
3626 8657 3625 8659 3623 8659 3608 8683
3644 8707 3653 8683
TIME...MOT...LOC 2119Z 315DEG 37KT 3640 8687
ALThe Nashville radar (KOHX), 29 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:21 UTC.
10 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A #tSpotter Twitter report indicated a tree was blown down onto a house in Greenbrier.
A Facebook report indicated quarter size hail and strong winds occurred about 4 miles south-southeast of Westmoreland in southwest Macon County.
A #tSpotter Twitter report indicated a tree was blown down onto a house in Goodlettsville.
A #tSpotter Twitter photo showed a tree snapped off Shelby Avenue near Shelby Park.
A few scattered trees were blown down around Hermitage.
A tree was snapped and power line blown down across Big Horn Drive just south of Cascade Drive in Hermitage.
A #tSpotter Twitter report indicated a tree was blown down onto a house in Green Hills.
A large tree was blown down onto a shed on Stoney Creek Road in Mount Juliet.
A Facebook report showed a photo of a tree down near a home on Stewarts Ferry Pike about 3 miles west of Gladeville.
Wilson County EMA reported an old and weak 10 inch diameter tree was blown down onto an occupied car on Chicken Road.
Rutherford County EMA reported a 64 year old male riding an ATV was killed on his property in the 7000 block of Ruel McKnight Road by a tree blown down on top of him. Tree was reportedly old and rotten with no other tree damage in the area. EMA estimated winds around 45 mph.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Rutherford | 2016-05-04 | 64 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
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: 627789, 627794, 627790, 627785, 627786, 627787, 627793, 627788, 627795, 627798, 627799.