Tennessee, 2022

Winter Weather in Tennessee, December 22, 2022

December 22, 2022 · NWS MEG · 18 events in 18 counties and zones

A powerful arctic front swept through the Mid-South during the afternoon and evening on December 22nd. Temperatures dropped as much as 20 degrees in the first hour after the frontal passage.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 18 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
18

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 MEG wrote it up.

A powerful arctic front swept through the Mid-South during the afternoon and evening on December 22nd. Temperatures dropped as much as 20 degrees in the first hour after the frontal passage. As temperatures plummeted rain changed to sleet and snow and quickly accumulated on area roads. A flash freeze occurred which resulted in very hazardous driving across West Tennesee with numerous accidents.

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 Memphis, TN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 21, 5:28 PM CST, 21 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 21, 5:28 PM CST, 21 hours 32 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 21, 4:31 PM CST, 22 hours 29 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

18 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Lake

When
December 22, 3:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Lake forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.335, -89.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to three inches of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Obion

When
December 22, 3:00 PM CST to 7:00 PM CST
Where
Obion forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.358, -89.149 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to three inches of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Dyer

When
December 22, 4:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Dyer forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.059, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two to three inches of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Weakley

When
December 22, 4:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Weakley forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.298, -88.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Lauderdale

When
December 22, 4:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Lauderdale forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.761, -89.631 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Tipton

When
December 22, 5:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Tipton forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.497, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One to two inches of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Shelby

When
December 22, 5:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Shelby forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.184, -89.896 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Haywood

When
December 22, 5:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Haywood forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.583, -89.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Crockett

When
December 22, 5:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Crockett forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.814, -89.139 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Gibson

When
December 22, 5:00 PM CST to 9:00 PM CST
Where
Gibson forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.997, -88.933 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Fayette

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Fayette forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.197, -89.414 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Madison

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.608, -88.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Carroll

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Carroll forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.973, -88.450 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Henry

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Henry forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.332, -88.301 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Decatur

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Decatur forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.603, -88.109 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Henderson

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Henderson forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.654, -88.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Hardeman

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Hardeman forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.207, -88.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

Winter Weather, Chester

When
December 22, 6:00 PM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Chester forecast zone
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.422, -88.613 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Around one inch of snow fell across the county.

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

More

Every storm in Tennessee in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Tennessee, December 2022

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1072976, 1072977, 1072978, 1072979, 1072980, 1072981, 1072982, 1072983, 1072984, 1072985, 1072986, 1072987, 1072988, 1072989, 1072990, 1072991, 1072992, 1072993.