A line of strong to severe thunderstorms moved across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon and evening hours on May 6. Numerous reports of wind damage were received, and one person was killed and another injured in Robertson County.
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 severe thunderstorms moved across Middle Tennessee during the afternoon and evening hours on May 6. Numerous reports of wind damage were received, and one person was killed and another injured in Robertson County.
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 6, 1:13 PM CST, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Nashville TN 213 PM CDT Thu May 6 2021 .DISCUSSION... Convection beginning to take place upstream across the Mo bootheel northeastward along the Ohio River. Latest Hrrr data has the activity reaching our far northwestern corner around 3-4 pm. A svr tstm watch is now in effect to our west. Severe wx parameters do indeed look better across that area and not as favorable here. Therefore, it looks as though the severe weather potential in our western areas will largely be momentum dependent. That said, recent storm history upstream will be key. So far, no reports of wind or hail but a few warnings have been issued across the bootheel. For our area, wind and hail are the primary threats for primarily those areas west of i-65. The weakening convection will end across our Plateau by 10pm - midnight. Moving on, Friday is looking partly cloudy and nice with highs 65 to 70. Conditions will begin to change on Saturday as a warm front begins to work northward. Low shower chances will return early Saturday and continue into Saturday night. On Sunday, the warm front will be north of the mid state and destabilization will be on the increase. A cold frontal passage is expected Sunday evening. Prior to this, frontal and pre frontal forcing will attempt to tap into the instability and increasing shear. Another round of severe storms will be possible. Note however that at this time we are not outlooked. That will likely change to at least a marginal as we approach Sunday. For our near term temps, below normal values are expected. However, we will be close to the normal, upper 70s highs, on Sunday, in advance of that boundary. In the ext fcst, after the fropa on Sunday evening, temperatures will cool down to 7-10 degrees below normal for the entire week. The subtropical jet will become active and send an inverted sfc trough our way by Wednesday. So the week as a whole will be on the unsettled side with low shower chances, except somewhat higher chances for Wednesday. Qpf amounts are not looking too bad. Looks like 1 to 1 1/2 inches over the next 7 days. && .AVIATION... 12Z TAF DISCUSSION. VFR conditions through the first half of the day. -SHRA/-TSRA will move through the area beginning with CKV as early as 20Z and end with CSV by 05Z. Periods of decreased vis/cigs will be possible if shower/storm passes directly over a terminal. Winds will become predominantly W/NW by this afternoon and continue through the remainder of the TAF period. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Nashville 46 70 51 65 56 / 70 0 20 40 20 Clarksville 44 69 50 64 55 / 30 0 30 50 40 Crossville 42 62 46 58 50 / 30 0 20 40 20 Columbia 44 71 50 68 57 / 60 0 20 40 10 Lawrenceburg 45 70 50 70 57 / 60 0 20 30 10 Waverly 45 69 51 66 56 / 40 0 30 50 30 && .OHX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && DISCUSSION......21 AVIATION........08
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Nashville TN 509 AM CDT Thu May 6 2021 TNZ005>011-023>034-056>066-075-077>080-093>095-071015- 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- 509 AM CDT Thu May 6 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Middle Tennessee. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. A few strong to severe thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon into this evening mainly across our northwestern counties. Main concerns are damaging wind gusts and small hail. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed. Please relay any information about observed severe weather to the NWS while following all local, state, and CDC guidelines. 09
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Nashville TN
344 PM CDT Thu May 6 2021
TNZ005-006-023-062130-
Stewart TN-Montgomery TN-Houston TN-
344 PM CDT Thu May 6 2021
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHWESTERN MONTGOMERY...STEWART
AND NORTHWESTERN HOUSTON COUNTIES UNTIL 430 PM CDT...
At 342 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 10 miles south of Land Between The Lakes Area
to 6 miles southwest of McKenzie. Movement was east at 40 mph.
Winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with these storms.
Locations impacted include...
Dover, Tennessee Ridge, Big Rock, Land Between The Lakes, Houston
County Airport and Indian Mound.
LAT...LON 3666 8785 3663 8785 3664 8755 3623 8786
3624 8794 3631 8796 3645 8806 3649 8806
3652 8804 3656 8803 3668 8807
TIME...MOT...LOC 2042Z 267DEG 36KT 3670 8813 3607 8860
10Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Nashville TN
418 PM CDT Thu May 6 2021
TNZ005-006-023>026-062200-
Stewart TN-Dickson TN-Humphreys TN-Cheatham TN-Montgomery TN-
Houston TN-
418 PM CDT Thu May 6 2021
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR DICKSON...SOUTHWESTERN
MONTGOMERY...SOUTHEASTERN STEWART...NORTHWESTERN CHEATHAM...HOUSTON
AND HUMPHREYS COUNTIES UNTIL 500 PM CDT...
At 417 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from near Tennessee Ridge to near New Johnsonville.
Movement was east at 30 mph.
Half inch hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with
these storms.
Locations impacted include...
Dickson, Waverly, Camden, Erin, New Johnsonville, McEwen, Tennessee
Ridge, Hurricane Mills, Charlotte, Vanleer, Cumberland City, Slayden
and Cheatham Dam.
This includes Interstate 40 between mile markers 138 and 148, between
mile markers 159 and 160, and between mile markers 164 and 165.
LAT...LON 3600 8800 3603 8800 3613 8792 3617 8792
3621 8794 3638 8782 3637 8715 3610 8732
3599 8747 3599 8753 3597 8753 3595 8756
3595 8761 3592 8765 3591 8770 3584 8772
3587 8794 3594 8793 3595 8801 3597 8802
TIME...MOT...LOC 2117Z 277DEG 27KT 3638 8775 3597 8805
10The Ft Campbell radar (KHPX), 17 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:22 UTC.
29 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A Facebook report indicated trees were blown down at Settlement Daycare.
A Facebook report indicated trees were blown down.
Trees were blown down.
Trees were blown down on Old Washington Road.
Trees were blown down on Old Columbia Road near Highway 70.
Trees were blown down in the 200 block of North Main Street in Springfield.
A large tree fell onto a pickup truck and a motorcyclist on South Walker Road at McMahan Hollow Road. The driver of the pickup was not seriously injured, but the driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene.
Trees were blown down on Woodmere drive and there were multiple reports of strong winds across the area.
A tree reportedly fell on a house on Obryan Avenue.
A tree was blown down that blocked the road at 4080 Skelley Road in Santa Fe.
A tree was blown down on Granny White Pike near Brentwood Academy.
A tree was blown down in Cool Springs.
Report of trees blown down on Zion Road.
Large tree limbs were blown down near Elm Hill Pike at McGavock Pike.
A tree was blown down on a house trapping the residents inside at 4234 Highway 43 north of Ethridge.
Trees were blown down along Granddaddy Road near Highway 242.
A report indicated a large tree was snapped.
Trees were blown down near the YMCA along Lebanon Road.
A power pole was snapped in Ethridge.
A large tree branch fell on a parked truck in the Tulip Grove area along Baton Rouge Drive.
Trees and power lines were blown down across the county with power outages county-wide. Approximately 2,700 people were without power.
Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across Lawrence County. Approximately 1013 customers were without power.
A tree was blown down that blocked the road at 3930 Highway 431.
Report of a tree down on powerlines on Cotton Court.
Trees were blown down across the county. A photo showed trees blown down in Lynnville.
Reports of trees blown down and split on Sam Davis Road.
Report of trees and powerlines blown down on Spring Creek Road.
A couple of trees were blown down in the Flat Creek area.
A report indicated large trees were blown down on Davis Street in Tullahoma.
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, Robertson | 2021-05-06 | 49 | Male | Other | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Tennessee in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, May 2021
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: 957681, 957683, 957685, 957684, 957682, 957687, 957686, 957688, 957689, 963681, 957698, 957694, 957706, 957699, 957692, 957693, 957695, 957690, 963679, 957691, 957696, 963680, 957697, 957703, 957700, 957702, 957701, 957704, 957705.