Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed across Middle Tennessee during the late morning and afternoon hours on May 20. One funnel cloud was reported in Williamson County but did not touch down or cause any 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.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms developed across Middle Tennessee during the late morning and afternoon hours on May 20. One funnel cloud was reported in Williamson County but did not touch down or cause any 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 May 20, 8:08 AM CST, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 908 AM CDT Wed May 20 2020 .UPDATE... FOR MESOSCALE DISCUSSION... The Dense Fog Advisory has expired, although there are still some spots reporting light fog around the mid state. This morning, the upper low is situated over East Tennessee. Radar is showing only a few light showers this hour, mainly east of I-65. The morning sounding from OHX puts us exactly where we were 24 hours ago, with a CAPE of 0 and an LI of +5. However, the atmosphere is a little wetter today, with a PWAT of 1.04". This puts us right at the 50th percentile climatologically for this date. The HRRR does develop additional cells as we get closer to peak heating, with the greatest coverage near and along the Cumberland Plateau. Due to the location of the upper low, cell/storm movement will be toward the W or SW. Like yesterday, we do not expect severe storms. && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF DISCUSSION. TAF sites are dealing with low VIS and CIGs this morning, lending to IFR/LIFR conditions. VIS and CIGs will improve over the next few hours, giving way to mid-level clouds rotating around an upper-level low. Scattered SHRA are possible at BNA/MQY/CSV this afternoon, while NE winds remain 5-10 kts everywhere. && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && DISCUSSION......08 AVIATION........Schaper
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Nashville TN 805 AM CDT Wed May 20 2020 TNZ005>011-023>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-211315- 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- 805 AM CDT Wed May 20 2020 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 is not expected at this time.
The Nashville radar (KOHX), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:16 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Twitter photos showed a funnel cloud south of Old Natchez Golf Course. Time and location was estimated based on radar. No damage was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, May 2020
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: 896572.