The most widespread damaging wind event to affect Middle Tennessee in at least 15 years struck the area during the evening hours on Friday, June 21, 2019. A long line of severe thunderstorms known as a MCS (mesoscale convective system) formed across southeast Missouri during the day, then moved southeast across Middle Tennessee between 6-10pm.
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.
The most widespread damaging wind event to affect Middle Tennessee in at least 15 years struck the area during the evening hours on Friday, June 21, 2019. A long line of severe thunderstorms known as a MCS (mesoscale convective system) formed across southeast Missouri during the day, then moved southeast across Middle Tennessee between 6-10pm. With ample instability and unusually strong wind shear for late June in place, these storms produced widespread damaging winds in every Middle Tennessee county. Thousands of trees were blown down across the region, including some that had been standing since the Civil War. Damage to power lines and poles resulted in an estimated 100,000+ power outages, with some people without electricity for up to 1 week. In addition to the damaging winds, large hail up to quarter size was reported, and several mesocyclones within the line of storms spawned 4 tornadoes and several funnel clouds. Due to the long path and severity of the wind damage with this MCS, the Storm Prediction Center classified this event as a derecho.
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 Jun 21, 4:02 PM CST, 1 hour 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 502 PM CDT Fri Jun 21 2019 .UPDATE... FOR 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... Two large storm complexes over IL and MO continue to track this way and are still expected to reach the area later this afternoon and this evening. Both systems have temporarily weakened as they leave an area of strong deep-layer shear, but at the same time instability is quickly increasing upstream of these systems especially over western parts of Kentucky and Tennessee where CAPE values exceed 4000 J/kg. Therefore expect an uptick in the intensity of these storms as they eventually congeal into one system, with a propagation turning them slightly more southerly toward West and Middle Tennessee later this evening along the instability gradient in place across the area. The moderate to strong instability in place along with steep midlevel lapse rates will support a very favorable environment for damaging winds, evidenced by downdraft CAPE at a very high 1500 J/kg across the area. However, these storms will encounter much weaker deep-layer shear over Tennessee which will act against the severity of these storms and will make it increasingly likely that a gust front will surge out ahead of the line and lead to a steady weakening trend by the time they reach here. Will need to keep a close eye on how quickly this cold pool dominance can occur, because otherwise conditions are favorable for numerous gusts to 50 mph and locally as high as 70-75 mph as long as this line of storms remains healthy. Very frequent lightning will be another concern with these storms particularly given the amount of instability that exists above the freezing level. Could see some pockets of heavy rain, although precipitable water values only around 1.5" and the progressive nature of this system should keep the flood threat limited. Will then need to watch the potential for yet another storm complex developing on the heels of this one later tonight, as a strong low level jet interacts with a stalled boundary over MO/IL and likely sparks off another area of storms over that area after midnight. Should such a complex develop it would likely take a similar track to today's system, eventually ending up in Kentucky and Tennessee near or shortly after sunrise. The threat for severe storms will be lower with this system unless it slows down enough to arrive after 10 AM or so, in which case a destabilizing airmass will make damaging winds a threat once again. Pattern remains unsettled into Saturday night and Sunday, during which time any subtle wave in the flow could cause storms to develop, although a ridge building into the Mississippi Valley should shunt the highest chances into the Cumberland Plateau and points east from there. Then on Monday a trough to the west will swing through the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and bring another chance for organized storms, some of which could be strong. Behind this system the upper flow will flatten out, resulting in low chances for mostly diurnal storms for much of next week. && .AVIATION... 00Z TAF DISCUSSION. MCS on its way to the mid state at this hour. Should begin to feel the impact near CKV within the next 2-3 hours. Most areas will get 20-30 kt winds with gusts between 30 and 40kts. Isolated to scattered area will reach and perhaps surpass severe limits. The showers and tstms will traverse the entire mid state with the activity reaching the BNA area between 1z and 3z and then CSV between 3z and 6z. Some decrease in low level forcing will occur by the time the complex reaches the CSV area. However, Momentum, couple with available convective fuel will allow the severe potential and high winds to continue. Another system could potentially roll through around sunrise. This second system looks a bit iffy at this time however. Otherwise, should be relatively quiet aft 15z. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && AVIATION........21
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Nashville TN 642 AM CDT Fri Jun 21 2019 TNZ005>011-023>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-221145- 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- 642 AM CDT Fri Jun 21 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Rain and thunderstorms, some strong to severe, are possible this afternoon through Saturday morning. Damaging winds will be the primary concern, along with hail and heavy rainfall. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Strong to severe thunderstorms will again be possible Saturday morning and into the afternoon hours. Damaging winds will remain the primary concern, with hail and heavy rainfall possible. Heat index values will approach 100 degrees on both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this afternoon through the overnight hours.
The Ft Campbell radar (KHPX), 53 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:21 UTC.
76 thunderstorm wind, 4 tornado, 3 funnel cloud, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and power lines were blown down on Tobaccoport Road.
Trees and power lines were blown down on Old Paris Landing Road.
Trees and power lines were blown down all across Stewart County.
Numerous trees were blown down in Tennessee Ridge.
A few trees were blown down in Erin.
Trees were blown down along Wilma-Rudolph Blvd.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Montgomery County, with many roadways blocked and one tree falling onto a house trailer. A few barns and sheds were also damaged. Power was knocked out to 16,000 people.
Numerous trees were blown down around 6388 Highway 48 North.
Tree was blown down across Whipporwill Drive in Waverly.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Humphreys County with a few roadways blocked.
A funnel cloud was filmed for 5 minutes to the northeast of I-24 in Pleasant View. No apparent touchdown or damage. Location estimated.
Photo showed a tree down across Breeden Road near Highway 49.
Power line was snapped on Old Columbia Road near Highway 70.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Dickson County with several roadways blocked. Around 11000 people were without power.
A power pole was knocked down over Highway 49 near Sweethome Road.
A spotter estimated an 80 mph wind gust in Springfield.
Approximately 40 trees were downed across Robertson County with two trees landing on houses but causing no damage. A couple buildings received minor damage from high winds, and downed power lines resulted in 5,200 people without power.
A trained spotter measured a 78 mph wind gust in Springfield. He also reported numerous trees down in the area and pea size hail.
Widespread tree damage and power outages across Perry County. A tree fell on a house in Lobelville.
A tree was blown down that blocked CC Road near I-40.
A tree was blown down onto a house at the intersection of Fairlawn Road and Brush Creek Road.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Sumner County. Two homes were damaged by fallen trees in White House.
Trees were blown down across Hickman County.
Trees and power lines were blown down throughout Davidson County with several falling on homes. 77 power poles were snapped, which according to Nashville OEM was the most in a severe thunderstorm since the April 16, 1998 Nashville Tornado. Over 48,000 people were without power.
An outdoor stage for the Nashville Pride Festival in Public Square Park was blown down and destroyed. Parts of the stage were blown into nearby streets.
Several trees were blown down on Curdwood Blvd in Inglewood.
Around 50 trees were blown down in Mt. Olivet Cemetery.
Trees were blown down in Hendersonville.
Numerous trees were blown down on Cedarwood Drive trapping residents in their homes.
Trees were blown down at Opry Mills Mall.
A 2.5 mile long by 0.3 mile wide microburst affected the Sunset View and Cumberland Trace neighborhoods along McGavock Pike and adjacent side streets. Scattered trees and power lines were blown down in this area towards the southeast.
Trees were blown down across Williamson County, with Franklin and Fairview the hardest hit areas.
A brief EF0 tornado touched down In the Stones River Bend Park and moved southeast, snapping several trees along the river. Moving through the Standford Estates subdivsion, the tornado blew down numerous large trees in a convergent pattern on Edgemont Drive, Myrick Drive, Stanford Drive, Belding Drive, and Jenry Drive, with some trees falling onto and severely damaging homes. Many of these same homes were also damaged in a severe microburst on April 18, 2017. The tornado continued southeast and blew down many more trees on Wellington Square, Lebanon Pike, and along the Stones River Greenway before lifting.
A large tree was blown down across Saundersville Road near Wyntergrace Farm Road closing the road.
A 1/2 mile long by 100 yard wide swath of wind damage struck the Percy Priest Woods subdivision along Bell Road, from Pleasant View Drive southeastward across Priest Woods Drive, Western Shore Drive, and across Bell Road onto Percy Priest Lake. Several trees were snapped and uprooted, a few power lines and poles were blown down, and minor roof damage occurred to a couple of homes. Although damage was too sparse to be conclusive, this may have been a brief EF0 tornado based on radar data.
A tree and power lines were blown down across Tulip Grove Road just north of Old Lebanon Dirt Road closing the roadway.
An unusually large and intense 8 mile long by 1.5 mile wide downburst moved to the southeast out of southern Kentucky across northern Macon County, generally from around the Kentucky border at Wix Hollow Road southeastward across Red Hill Road, Driver Hill Road, Oak Knob Road, Underwood Road, Akersville Road, Driver Road, Knight Road, Smith Hale Road, Highway 261, to Pumpkintown Road. Along this path, dozens of trees were snapped and uprooted, numerous barns were damaged or destroyed, a few homes were damaged by fallen trees, and several power poles and lines were blown down.
A small, brief EF0 tornado touched down in Antioch near the intersection of Anderson Road and Country Way Road. The tornado took a U-shaped path and moved southeast across Oak Trees Court, Country Meadow Drive, Country Meadow Court, Country Lawn Drive, Towne Village Road, Fall Court, Dove Creek Road, and Huntingboro Trail, snapping and uprooting numerous trees in a narrow, convergent path. A few trees fell onto homes causing minor damage. Turning more eastward, the tornado strengthened and caused significant roof and siding damage to many homes along Leatherbury Court, Seasons Lake Court, and Seasons Drive. The tornado appears to have lifted north of the intersection of Smith Springs Parkway and Mt View Road.
Video shared to Fox 17 TV showed a funnel cloud southeast of the Cane Ridge Farms subdivision. Location estimated based on radar.
An NWS employee reported several trees blown down on Cairo Bend Road including one that fell in the backyard of his home.
A short but intense EF-1 tornado touched down in far northern Macon County near Green Valley Road and moved eastward across Oak Knob Road and along Underwood Road before lifting. Hundreds of trees were snapped and uprooted along the path, a few homes were damaged by falling trees, and several barns and outbuildings were damaged. The tornado damage was surrounded by a massive 8 mile long by 1.5 mile wide downburst which also caused scattered severe damage over a much wider area.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Trousdale County, most numerous across the western half of the county.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Lewis County with power outages, especially on Highway 20.
Facebook video taken from Stewarts Ferry Pike west of Gladeville showed a funnel cloud moving southeastward in this area. Location estimated based on radar.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Wilson County with several roadways blocked, including Cooks Road, Coles Ferry Pike, Carthage highway, East Market Street, John Hagar Road, Old Rome Pike, Trousdale Ferry Pike, Hickory Ridge Road, Goshen Road, and Old Shannon Road. A vehicle drove into a fallen tree at 209 Blair Lane resulting in minor injuries to the occupants.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Maury County with power outages county-wide. Fire and sheriff departments were assisting in removing trees from main roadways.
Trees and power lines were blown down across the north-central portion of Wayne County.
Two 36-inch diameter trees were blown down onto a house trailer. Power lines were also blown down throughout Lawrence County.
A large and intense downburst affected northern Rutherford County from I-840 near Hickory Grove Road southeastward across Mona Road and Powells Chapel Road to around Walterhill. Dozens of trees were snapped and uprooted, power lines and poles were blown down, and fences and outbuildings damaged.
Photo of a tree blown down on Fuller Road south of College Grove.
Relatives of a NWS employee reported widespread tree damage in Walterhill.
Large trees were blown down on Medical Center Parkway.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Smith County.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Clay County, including across Highway 52. Two homes had trees fall on them but no damage resulted. One downed power line caused a fire which burned an outdoor garage down to the ground at Neely Creek.
Widespread tree damage and power lines blown down across Jackson County. The entire county was without power.
Numerous trees reported down across the county.
Trees were blown down on Bradyville Road and Locke Creek Road near Readyville.
Trees were blown down across Lawrenceburg.
An intense 2 mile long by 3/4 mile wide microburst blew down dozens of trees from Old Union Road at Boles Road to Standing Stone Highway at Campground Road.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Marshall County with widespread power outages. Some vehicles had trees fall on them.
A tree was blown down on Celina Highway at Standing Stone Highway.
Tin roofing was peeled off a barn on Ozone Road. A few trees were also blown down in the area.
Numerous trees were blown down across Cannon County including on Sunny Slope Road and in the 2600 block of pleasant View Road.
A tree was blown down onto a house on Gainesboro Grade.
Numerous trees were blown down across Bedford County.
Trees and power lines were blown down across De Kalb County.
A trained spotter estimated a wind gust of 60 to 65 mph in Smithville.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Putnam County.
Power lines were blown down along Peach Drive, Hidden Valley Lane, and Fletcher Drive in Livingston.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Overton County, including on 4916 Willow Grove Highway, 2179 Standing Stone Highway, 3812 West Paron Road, Rickman Road at Young Road, Lee Dillon Road, Spruce Street, East Fork Lane at Water Tank Road, and Raymond Road. A tree fell on the emergency manager's home at 104 River Trace Drive.
Trees were blown down across Giles County.
Trees and power lines were blown down across Pickett County.
Public reported 18 trees blown down around their home at 499 Peach Avenue southwest of McMinnville.
Trees were blown down in Tullahoma and across northern Coffee County.
Trees were blown down across White County.
Tree damage and power outages were reported throughout Fentress County.
Trees were blown down across Warren County.
A NWS and Fentress County Emergency Management storm survey determined that a microburst with winds up to 70 mph struck the Clarkrange area. The front porch of a funeral home was blown down, a car wash lost much of its sheet metal roofing, and a gas station had damage to its gas pump awning. A few other buildings had minor exterior damage, and several scattered trees were snapped and uprooted.
A tree fell on a house causing significant damage.
An EF-1 tornado touched down in the Armathwaite community west of Brannon Lane and moved east across Stockton Road, Mt Helen Road, HM Brooks Road, Chestnut Ridge Road, and Sam Smith Road before lifting. A few barns and outbuildings were damaged and hundreds of large trees were snapped and uprooted along the path, with the worst damage along Sam Smith Road where a home narrowly missed being crushed by numerous trees. The tornado path may have been longer to the east but that area is not accessible by roads.
Trees were blown down across Van Buren County.
A tree was blown down across Highway 70 North. Power outages were reported across Cumberland County.
Trees and power lines were blown down across the county, especially in Tracy City and Monteagle.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Tennessee, 2019Warnings in Tennessee, June 2019
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: 841577, 834932, 834933, 834934, 841580, 834936, 841767, 834937, 834938, 841772, 834939, 834940, 834948, 834943, 841773, 834942, 834946, 841769, 841770, 834945, 841758, 834947, 841761, 834949, 834950, 841764, 841787, 841786, 834952, 841788, 834989, 841601, 834958, 841531, 834956, 841785, 834955, 841561, 841532, 834935, and more.