Winter Weather in Tennessee, December 8 to 9, 2018

Name: Winter Weather in Tennessee, December 8 to 9, 2018
Start: 2018-12-08T19:00
End: 2018-12-09T07:00
Location: Tennessee

December 8 to 9, 2018 · NWS OHX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $45,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS OHX wrote it up.

A slow moving upper level storm system brought several rounds of winter weather to much of Middle Tennessee from December 8, 2018 through December 10, 2018. A mix of rain and snow fell early in the day on December 8, with light snow accumulations in some areas. Additional rain spread across Middle Tennessee late in the day on December 8 and continued into the morning hours on December 9. With temperatures near or below freezing across northwest and northern Middle Tennessee, this rain fell as freezing rain generally along and north of a line from Waverly to Joelton to Lafayette, with ice accumulating as much as 1/4 on elevated surfaces like trees, power lines, and cars, as well as a few bridges and overpasses. The weight of the ice brought down several trees, tree limbs, and power lines across Stewart, Montgomery, Dickson, Cheatham, Robertson, and northern Sumner Counties, resulting in scattered power outages for up to 20,000 customers. Lesser amounts of ice also accumulated further south across Houston, Humphreys, Macon, and extreme northern Davidson Counties. The ice also led to several traffic accidents in the Clarksville area.

What forecasters said that day

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 8, 6:40 PM CST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 8, 6:40 PM CST, 20 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Montgomery

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Montgomery forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 36.497, -87.383 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to two-tenths of an inch were reported across Montgomery County. The Clarksville Outlaw Field ASOS measured a total ice accumulation of 0.17 inches. Icing on area roadways, including Interstate 24, caused several traffic accidents. A few trees and power lines were also knocked down by the weight of the ice across the county, resulting in scattered power outages.

Winter Weather, Robertson

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Robertson forecast zone
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.526, -86.871 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to two-tenths of an inch were reported across Robertson County. Icing on area roadways resulted in several traffic accidents. In addition, several trees and power lines were knocked down by the weight of the ice across the county, resulting in power outages for over 10,000 customers.

Winter Weather, Sumner

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Sumner forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.469, -86.460 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to two-tenths of an inch were reported across the northern two-thirds of Sumner County. Icing on area roadways resulted in several traffic accidents. In addition, several trees and power lines were knocked down by the weight of the ice across the county, resulting in scattered power outages.

Winter Weather, Houston

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Houston forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.286, -87.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch was estimated across Houston County. Social media reports indicated a thick coating of ice on elevated surfaces and vehicles occurred.

Winter Weather, Dickson

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Dickson forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.149, -87.357 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch were reported across Dickson County. Social media reports indicated a ice coated elevated surfaces such as trees, grass, and vehicles.

Winter Weather, Cheatham

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Cheatham forecast zone
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.261, -87.087 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch were reported across northern Cheatham County. A trained spotter reported significant icing on trees and other elevated surfaces in the Chapmansboro area. A few trees and power lines were also knocked down by the weight of the ice, resulting in scattered power outages in northern parts of the county.

Winter Weather, Davidson

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Davidson forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.171, -86.777 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch were estimated across extreme northern Davidson County. Social media reports indicated light icing occurred on trees and other elevated surfaces in the Joelton area.

Winter Weather, Macon

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Macon forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.532, -86.007 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to one-tenth of an inch were estimated across northern portions of Macon County. Social media reports indicated a light glazing of ice occurred on elevated surfaces.

Winter Weather, Fentress

When: December 8, 7:00 PM CST to December 9, 7:00 AM CST
Where: Fentress forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 36.381, -84.932 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ice accumulations up to a few one-hundredths of an inch were estimated across Fentress County. Social media reports indicated a light glazing of ice occurred on elevated surfaces and vehicles.

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Tennessee in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in Tennessee, December 2018

Sources

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: 798607, 798608, 798609, 798610, 798612, 798613, 798614, 798615, 798616.