A line of showers and thunderstorms moved across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon hours on December 27, with several positive lightning strikes occurring across Davidson and Williamson Counties. One of these positive bolts struck the 878 foot tall WSM-AM Radio Antenna in Brentwood, causing significant damage.
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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 showers and thunderstorms moved across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon hours on December 27, with several positive lightning strikes occurring across Davidson and Williamson Counties. One of these positive bolts struck the 878 foot tall WSM-AM Radio Antenna in Brentwood, causing significant damage.
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 27, 3:16 PM CST, 29 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 316 PM CST Thu Dec 27 2018 .DISCUSSION... The anticipated line of showers and isolated storms has moved rapidly into the west third of Middle TN already by mid afternoon... somewhat earlier than expected. Line should continue moving east to BNA by 22-23Z and then slow down a tad this evening...eventually reaching CSV around 03-05Z. Additional rains will linger for several hours behind the main band. With somewhat increased QPF expectations of 2 to 3 inches...though no where near as much as the 6+ inch bullseye suggested by GFS...decided to issue Flash Flood Watch through 12Z for mostly far eastern and southern counties. These are counties that are adjacent to the current watch by HUN/MRX. Outside of the watch area, went with storm total amounts of 1 to 2 inches tonight into early Friday. Wind gusts have not been as high as expected but will leave the Wind Advisory in effect overnight. Marginal winds this afternoon and evening may taper off enough to allow the advisory to be canceled early at some point overnight. Rains will taper off from west to east on Friday as upper level system weakens and moves further away into the Great Lakes area. Looks like a brief break from the active pattern on Saturday as weak upper level ridging takes place across the Southeast. However, a new system will move into the Southwest U.S. late this weekend. It will help set the stage for increasing moisture, a warm front and high rain chances starting Sunday...but mainly Sunday night through Monday when another 1 to 2 inches of rain could fall. Once the Monday storm departs our region, the upper pattern over the U.S. will feature a ridge in the west and trough in the east. The resulting northwest flow will usher in much colder and drier air Tuesday through the rest of next week. && .AVIATION... 18Z TAF DISCUSSION. Showers and gusty winds will impact all terminals this taf period. Wind gusts around 30KT have already been reported, and some higher gusts, over 40KT at times, will occur 20Z-01Z. A band of moderate to heavy showers will move into the area after 21Z, with isolated thunder. This will bring variable MVFR/IFR conditions through the evening and most of the night. CSV is expected to drop to LIFR tonight. Showers will diminish and conditions will improve from west to east after 06Z. All sites except CSV will lift to VFR by 12Z. Winds will also decrease late night. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Nashville 56 62 33 48 36 / 90 50 10 10 10 Clarksville 55 57 30 45 33 / 70 10 10 10 10 Crossville 54 61 33 48 36 / 100 100 10 10 20 Columbia 57 61 33 47 36 / 90 50 10 10 30 Lawrenceburg 57 62 33 48 37 / 100 70 10 10 30 Waverly 52 56 32 45 34 / 80 20 10 10 10 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flash Flood Watch through late tonight for Bedford-Cannon-Coffee- Cumberland-De Kalb-Fentress-Giles-Grundy-Marshall-Overton- Pickett-Putnam-Van Buren-Warren-White. Wind Advisory until 6 AM CST Friday for Bedford-Cannon-Cheatham- Clay-Coffee-Cumberland-Davidson-De Kalb-Dickson-Fentress-Giles- Grundy-Hickman-Houston-Humphreys-Jackson-Lawrence-Lewis-Macon- Marshall-Maury-Montgomery-Overton-Perry-Pickett-Putnam-Robertson- Rutherford-Smith-Stewart-Sumner-Trousdale-Van Buren-Warren-Wayne- White-Williamson-Wilson. && DISCUSSION......49 AVIATION........13
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Nashville TN 502 AM CST Thu Dec 27 2018 TNZ005>011-023>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-281100- 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- 502 AM CST Thu Dec 27 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A Wind Advisory is in effect for all of Middle Tennessee through tonight. Sustained southerly winds 15 to 30 mph. Gusts to around 45 mph for locations west of Cumberland Plateau Region. Gusts to around 50 mph across Cumberland Plateau Region. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Relayed reports to the NWS Nashville office of measured winds gusts around 40 mph or greater appreciated. 31
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:46 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A positive lightning bolt struck the 878 foot tall WSM-AM Radio Antenna at Concord Road and I-65 in Brentwood, blowing out all lights on the tower and knocking out windows in a building at the base of the tower.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, December 2018
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: 798649.